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TAMPA, Fla. - Kim Nemcek and Kelsey Wesaw each recorded 19 kills Friday night as Northern Kentucky University opened the season by rallying for a 27-25, 25-27, 23-25, 25-23, 17-15 victory against Central Oklahoma at the University of Tampa Classic. Nemcek attacked at a .424 clip for NKU, which hit .336 for the match. The Norse rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the fifth set and staved off match point with Central Oklahoma holding a 14-13 lead when Wesaw converted an attack to tie the score at 14-all. Wesaw, a 6-foot-3 senior making her debut for NKU after playing three years at Findlay, later added two kills to give the Norse a 16-15 lead. Nemcek then gave NKU a 17-15 win by converting an attack off an assist from Natalie Forbes. Nemcek, a 5-10 sophomore middle hitter also playing in her first match for NKU, added four blocks and seven digs. Forbes, a senior setter and an honorable mention All-American last season, finished with 62 assists, eight digs and converted all five of her attacks. Kristina Eisenmenger hammered down 15 kills for the Norse. Eisenmenger, a senior right-side hitter, upped her career kills total to 1,291. Freshman outside hitter Noelle Peterson added seven kills and six digs. Sophomore libero Chelsea Clark led the NKU defense with 11 digs. Central Oklahoma (0-2) attacked at a .236 clip for the match. The Bronchos took advantage of 22 service errors by NKU to stay in the match. NKU will meet a pair of teams ranked in the NCAA Division II preseason poll - No. 9 Florida Southern and No. 7 Tampa - on Saturday. NKU plays its home opener Sept. 2 when Lindsey Wilson visits Regents Hall at 7 p.m. The Norse also play host to Thomas More on Sept. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
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