The Northern Kentucky University volleyball team is 1-5 on the season playing tough competition.
The Norse traveled to Bowling Green State in Ohio for three games in the Hampton Inn Invitational. NKU lost 3-1 (27-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-14) on Thursday to the hosts. The Falcons had a .225 (59 kills minus 23 errors on 160 attempts) hitting percentage to .188 (49 kills minus 19 errors on 160 attempts).
Senior hitter Reilly Briggs had 15 kills and redshirt senior Abby Kanakry had 13. Junior setters Katy Yopko and Torie Houston had 21 and 18 assists respectively. Houston also had three aces for NKU. Junior middle blocker Allie Siefke had seven blocks to go with senior defensive specialist Anna Burke and graduate student Anna Brinkmann recording 22 and 15 digs respectively.
NKU came back Friday to knock off Depaul, 3-2 (14-25, 25-21, 27-29. 25-18, 16-14). NKU hit .250 (65 kills minus 24 errors on 164 attempts) compared to .201 (63 kills minus 28 errors on 174 attempts) for the Blue Demons.
Brinkmann and Briggs led the Norse with 18 and 15 kills respectively. Kanakry and sophomore outside hitter Joy Banks had 10 kills each. Siefke had seven blocks. Burke led the Norse with 19 digs. Houston and Yopko had 29 and 20 assists respectively.
The Norse concluded the weekend with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-13) loss to 22nd-ranked Western Kentucky. The Norse hit just .085 (29 kills minus 21 errors on 94 attempts) compared to .240 (38 kills minus 13 errors on 104 attempts) for WKU.
Kanakry led the Norse with nine kills and Yopko had three aces to go with 11 assists. Houston had 12 assists and Burke had 13 digs.
The Norse head to WKU on Thursday for the WKU Volleyball Invitational. NKU plays the Hilltoppers on Thursday at 7 p.m. then Toledo and Austin Peay at Noon and 4 p.m.
Women’s soccer
Northern Kentucky tied Bellarmine at home on Thursday, zero to zero. Norse junior goalkeeper Mickayla Kowalski had four saves.
The Norse had a game scheduled Sunday at Evansville. It was canceled because of inclement weather.
NKU plays host to Ohio on Thursday. Game time is 7 p.m.
Men’s soccer
The Norse are 1-2 after losing 2-1 to Bellarmine at home on Friday.
Senior midfielder Craig Wellens scored the Norse goal. Freshman Joseph Roddy and senior forward Broddie Sallows had assists. Redshirt freshman Sean Bohan had four saves at goalkeeper for the Norse.
NKU travels to the Virginia Military Institute on Tuesday for a 4 p.m. game.
Cross Country
Both teams finished second in the Queen City Invitational at the Valhalla Course. The men scored 34 points and the women scored 35. Xavier won the men’s race with 33 points out of three full teams and the women’s race with 24 points out of three full teams.
Senior Kyle Mastin won the individual race in 15 minutes, 53 seconds on the men’s side for NKU. Senior Megan Cole finished third for the NKU women taking third in 20:08.09.
Men’s Golf
The Norse played in the Ball State Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational at Delaware Country Club in Muncie (Indiana) on Friday and Saturday tying Butler University for sixth with a three-round total of 871 out of 15 teams.
Graduate student Alex Doss, sophomore Nick Sawyer and freshman Zack Beard tied for 15th overall shooting 218s and sophomore Luke Muller shot a 219 to take 28th. Senior Miles Parroco shot 225 to tie for 52nd.
Women’s Golf
The Norse opened the season taking second out of five times shooting 318 at the Youngstown State Kickoff at Mill Creek Park Golf Course. Host and Horizon League rival Youngstown State won it shooting 290.
Freshman Hailey Coleman shot a 78 to lead the Norse to tie for fifth. Three more Norse in junior Emmanuelle Hewson, sophomores Rachel DiDonato and Reagan Nolan shot 79s to tie for eighth.
