Volleyball drops three in a row, takes step back

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Matt Sexton

Keely Creamer (14) had four kills and three digs Tuesday in NKU’s straight-sets victory over Wright State

After winning three in a row at the Morehead State Invitational, the Norse dropped all three games at the Butler Invitational. NKU falls to 6-5 on the season.

The Norse were plagued by errors in this tournament, making 40 combined errors against Butler and Arizona, and then making 31 errors against Loyola on day two.

The Norse played Butler first on Friday evening, losing that match 25-21, 25-18, 25-15. The Bulldogs hitting .283 and recorded 13 errors while the Norse hit just .029 for the match.

Georgia Childers, Haley Libs, Drew Hendricks, and Keely Creamer each recorded six kills in the match, while Shelby Olsen recorded 24 assists. None of that was enough to get close to the Bulldogs, who improved to 10-4 on the season.

Things didn’t go much better against Arizona, as they lost the match 25-14, 25-18, 25-13. The Wildcats were efficient in this match, hitting .474 while only making four errors, while the Norse hit just .139.

Creamer and Tristen Simpson lead the way in kills, combining for 12 kills in the match, while Lauren Hurley dug 11 balls.

The match against Loyola was the closest of the weekend, with the match going five sets. In the end, it was Loyola who came out on top with the  25-21, 18-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-6 win.

Libs recorded a double double in the loss, recording 15 kills and 16 digs. Olsen shined again in this game, recording 36 assists and nine kills.

The Norse will begin the Horizon League season on Friday Sept. 23, when they travel north to play the Milwaukee Panthers. The Panthers are currently ranked fifth in the Horizon League, while the Norse are just ahead in fourth.