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ASHLAND, Ohio - Liz Holmes put on one of her thunderous, stop-this-if-you-can attacking exhibitions Friday afternoon against Hillsdale (Mich.), and the Northern Kentucky University middle hitter's performance keyed the Norse's huge regional victory over the nationally ranked Chargers. Holmes finished with 19 kills and a .667 hitting percentage as NKU defeated Hillsdale, 26-30, 30-27, 30-26, 37-35, in the Ashland Invitational. NKU entered the match ranked No. 24 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll, while Hillsdale (7-3) was No. 7 in the rankings. NKU fought back from a 1-0 deficit in games to post its third victory of the season over a team ranked in the top 10 of the national poll. After attacking at a .179 clip in the first game, the Norse proceeded to hit .286, .319 and .333 in the remaining three sets to knock off the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference powerhouse. In the fourth game, NKU built a 25-20 lead and appeared ready to coast to the win. Hillsdale, however, responded with an 8-1 run to take a 28-26 advantage. NKU tied the game at 28-all and later survived a game point at 29-28 when Kristina Eisenmenger slammed down one of her 18 kills to tie it at 29-all. After that Eisenmenger kill, NKU held match point five times before closing it out. Eisenmenger and freshman Morgan Elyea combined to block an attack by Kitt Smith for the final point and a 37-35 Norse victory. Junior setter Natalie Forbes also keyed NKU's victory with 61 assists, nine digs and six kills. Forbes directed the Norse offense flawlessly during the final three games (NKU hit .285 as a team for the match), and she attacked at a .308 clip. Tristen Dye added 19 kills and 15 digs for the Norse, who earlier this season defeated both No. 9 North Alabama and No. 8 Ashland. In addition to her 18 kills, Eisenmenger hit .263 wit three blocks. Elyea collected six blocks, four kills and attacked at a .444 clip. Brittany Dixon, Megan Dooley and Chelsea Clark each finished with nine digs for the Norse, who held a 65-62 edge over the Chargers in that category. Hillsdale hit .222 for the match, including .317 in the fourth game. In the nightcap, No. 13 Grand Valley State rallied from a one-game deficit to post a 24-30, 30-28, 30-21, 30-25 win over NKU. The taller Lakers (8-2) dominated action at the net and finished with a 25-9 advantage in blocks. Holmes recorded a double-double with 16 kills and 12 digs, while Eisenmenger added 14 kills and a .458 hitting percentage. Grand Valley State hit .331 behind the play of setter Jamie Ashmore, who totaled 47 assists, five blocks and 10 kills. NKU began the match by attacking at a .474 clip in the first game and rolled to a 30-24 win. Grand Valley State responded and pulled out a tough 30-28 decision in the second game to tie the match. NKU hit just .053 in the second game, while the Lakers finished at .222. Forbes dished out 48 assists and added six digs for NKU. Dye added 18 kills and nine digs, while teammate Megan Dooley had 11 digs. |
