The Northern Kentucky University volleyball team (17-12 overall, 15-3 Horizon League) concluded the regular season with two road wins earning the second seed in the Horizon League Tournament at Wright State.
The Norse beat Youngstown State, 3-0 (25-21, 25-12, 25-18) on Friday.
Senior hitter Reilly Briggs had 13 kills and three blocks for the Norse. Freshman setter Madison Tracy had 13 assists, a career-high five aces, and one dig. Senior defensive specialist Anna Burke had 11 digs and five assists with sophomore middle blocker Sequoia Hunt tallying seven kills and two blocks.
The Norse then ventured to Robert Morris on Saturday and won 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-13). NKU had 44 kills, 43 assists, seven aces and 10 blocks.
Briggs had 12 kills and six blocks and Hunt had eight kills and five blocks to lead the Norse. Junior setter Katy Yopko had 20 assists, four aces, and two digs.
NKU earned the second-seed in the Horizon League tournament, which means an automatic trip to the semifinals. The Norse will face the highest remaining seed between Green Bay, Cleveland State or Milwaukee at 6 p.m. Saturday.
The title game is Sunday at 2 p.m.
Women’s Basketball
The Norse fell to 1-1 with a 77-54 loss at Kent State on Sunday. NKU fell behind 18-9 after the first quarter and 44-20 at halftime.
NKU made just 19 of 59 shots for 32 percent including 6 of 27 from three-point range for 22 percent.
Graduate student guard Lindsey Duvall led the Norse with her second double-double in two games with 12 points and 13 rebounds, and senior guard Ivy Turner had nine points to go with three assists and three rebounds.
Junior guard/wing Ellie Taylor added eight points and one rebound for the Norse. The team’s lone true freshman, guard Allison Basye, scored her first collegiate basket with a triple from the wing in the second quarter.
The Norse travel to Dayton (0-3) on Thursday. Game time is 7 p.m.
Cross Country
The Northern Kentucky teams ran in the NCAA Division I Southeast Regionals at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville to finish the season. The men finished 27th out of 32 teams with 757 points, and the women took 28th out of 32 teams with 848 points.
Natnael Weldemichael, a Beechwood graduate and Horizon League Freshman of the year, led the Norse with a 105th-place finish in 32 minutes, 10.6 seconds in the 10,000 kilometer race. Fifth-year runner and Simon Kenton graduate Kyle Mastin took 129th with a 10K personal record of 32:44.9 to finish his career.
Senior Megan Cole finished her career with a 151st-place finish in 23:13.5 in the 6,000-kilometer race to lead the women.