Northern Kentucky University women’s volleyball team hosted its first home game as a Division I member and first conference game in the Atlantic Sun on Sept. 18.
NKU, now (12-2), took on Lipscomb University, now (4-8). It was a close game, but Lipscomb prevailed, winning by 2 points in the fifth match.

The match began as a back and forth tug-of-war. NKU was able to pull ahead with a final score of 25-16 for the first set.

Lipscomb took the lead in the opening of the second set and kept the lead, defeating the Norse 25-15.

NKU took the third set 25-23 in a nail-biting finish. NKU’s Haley Lippert scored 4 kills during the set.

Lipscomb took the lead midway through the fourth set 12-9, but both teams wouldn’t give up. Another close finish this time, but Lipscomb took the set, 26-24, tying the match 2-2.
NKU started out strong during the final set 9-5, but Lipscomb fought back and took the lead 13-12.
“We needed to get quicker on the block offensively,” NKU head coach Liz Hart said. “We were not able to stop Lipscomb.”
As this is only the team’s second loss, the coach contributes their 12-2 record to its offense.

“I think the team plays really well together,” Hart said. “We run a really balanced offense; it doesn’t make us so predictable. I definitely think it’s our offense.”
Senior setter Kelly Morrissey finished with 8 kills and 4 assists, but was not satisfied with her performance during the match.
“We were up 6 or 7 to 1 and then we let them come back,” Morrissey said.

Lipscomb’s head coach Brandon Rosenthal said keeping the pressure on NKU helped secure the victory.
“As we switched sides, the message to the team was ‘we control our efforts,’” Rosenthal said. “I told our girls, ‘Hey look, win or lose, let’s get after it,’ and I thought they did a nice job responding.”

Prior to the game, NKU’s Jenna Schreiver was honored for her recently achieved 4000th assist.
NKU players stayed after the game to sign autographs.

The Norse’s next game is on Sept. 21, against 8-4 North Florida University at Regents Hall.