EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Shannon Wells recorded 18 kills, 12 digs and a .417 hitting percentage Saturday afternoon as the University of Southern Indiana volleyball team defeated Northern Kentucky University, 30-25, 30-20, 30-26, at the PAC Arena.
Natalie Atzinger added 11 kills and a .500 hitting percentage as Southern Indiana defeated NKU for the first time since 1996. The Lady Eagles had dropped 10 consecutive matches against the Norse going into Saturday.
Southern Indiana improved to 20-6 overall, 9-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. NKU - which had won 12 consecutive matches before Saturday - dropped to 19-8 overall, 10-3 in the GLVC.
Maggie Pugh finished with nine kills and a .571 hitting percentage for NKU, and teammate Nicole Salisbury added 11 kills and a .385 hitting percentage. Sara Taylor, who is No. 1 nationally in assists in the latest NCAA Division II rankings, added 37 assists and 11 digs Saturday.
Southern Indiana hit .304 in the first game Saturday to pull out a 30-25 win, and the Lady Eagles then attacked the ball at a .529 clip in the second game for a 30-20 victory. In the third game, NKU converted 20 of 24 attack attempts with just five errors for a .625 hitting percentage.
Southern Indiana, however, built a 28-19 lead in that game and held off NKU to take sole possession of first place in the GLVC. Lewis University - which entered Saturday in first place in the GLVC - dropped a five-game decision at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and is in second place with an 11-3 GLVC record.
NKU is now in third place in the GLVC at 10-3. The Norse will close out the regular season with road contests at Saint Joseph’s College (8 p.m. Nov. 8) and the University of Indianapolis (2 p.m. Nov. 9).
Maggie Pugh