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ALLENDALE, Mich. - The Northern Kentucky University volleyball team’s season ended Saturday night as Saginaw Valley State defeated the Norse in a five-set thriller, 19-25, 25-11, 25-17, 19-25, 15-13, in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional semifinals. NKU (28-8) won the first set by hitting at a .346 clip but proceeded to drop the second and third sets. The sixth-seeded Norse stormed back from an 11-7 deficit to extend the match to a fifth set thanks in large part to the net play of Annie Lucas and Kelsey Wesaw. Saginaw Valley State took an early lead in the fifth set, built a 13-8 advantage and hung on for 15-13 win. The second-seeded Cardinals, who lost to NKU in five sets during the regular season, improved to 25-7. Senior Kristina Eisenmenger led NKU with 15 kills and a .314 hitting percentage. Eisenmenger, a Notre Dame Academy graduate, finished her career with 1,743 kills, which is No. 2 in school history. Senior setter Natalie Forbes collected 47 assists for the Norse, while Kim Nemcek tallied 15 digs. Forbes, Nemcek and Eisenmenger were later named to the regional all-tournament team. |
