By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter
Two days after learning that its No. 44 RPI was the best among all Horizon League volleyball teams, Northern Kentucky University found itself in a surprisingly tough battle against Oakland on Wednesday night.
By the time it ended, the Norse were the victims of a shocking midweek upset.
Oakland entered the match winless (0-6) on the road this season, and the Golden Grizzlies sported an 8-8 overall record. But after two hours and 44 minutes of action, it was the visitors from Michigan who departed Regents Hall with a stunning five-set triumph over NKU.
NKU’s Laura Crawford prepares to launch an attack against Oakland defenders Megan Hobler (4) and Jamie Walling (9). Crawford finished with 21 kills. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
Oakland’s defense limited NKU to a .194 hitting percentage, including a .095 clip in the decisive fifth set. The Golden Grizzlies hit .214 for the match and converted .256 of their attacks in the final frame to cap the shocker.
“I thought we needed to pass better. I didn’t think we passed well enough out of serve-receive,” NKU head coach Liz Hart said. “Their blockers did a great job and were a huge presence at the net. I didn’t think we sided-out very well out of our rotation. Oakland was very scrappy and did a good job of putting pressure on us with their defense.”
NKU (10-7 overall, 3-2 Horizon League) started slowly and owned a harrowing 21-20 lead in the first set, but Abby Kanakry hammered down three consecutive kills and the Norse escaped with a 25-22 win. Kanakry smashed seven kills and attacked at a blazing .400 clip in the first set, but the freshman was held to just four kills and a .194 hitting percentage the remainder of the match.
“(Oakland) had a double-block against Abby every time,” Hart said. “They did a good job of making some different blocking adjustments.”
Megan Hobler led the Oakland net defense with nine block assists and a solo block. Dellinger, who slammed down 17 kills, added six block assists. NKU totaled just seven block assists (3.5 team blocks).
Bailey Western (10) and Laura Crawford (right) block an attempt by Oakland’s Taylor Dellinger. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
Crawford terminated nine balls in the third set, but Oakland bolted out to a 6-0 lead and eventually pushed that advantage to 16-7 before a late NKU rally fell short at 25-20. The slow start proved costly for the Norse.
“It took us a while to start playing fast, and we need to come out immediately ready to play,” Hart said. “I think we’re waiting too long to start the match, and even after intermission we come out slow. I think there’s a mental glitch and we need to make sure we’re ready to go when it’s time.”
After a back-and-forth early portion of the fifth set, Oakland snapped an 8-all deadlock with a 4-0 spurt to build a 12-8 lead. NKU staged a furious rally and tied the frame at 12-all on an ace by Ashton Terrill, but an attack error followed by a Welch kill gave Oakland a 14-12 lead.
The Golden Grizzlies iced the 15-13 victory when Jessica Riedl converted an attack at match point, spoiling a week in which NKU received the highest RPI in program history at 44. Welch converted 21 kills and scooped up 26 digs for Oakland, which is now 12-3 all-time against NKU.
NKU’s Anna Brinkmann finished with 16 kills and 23 digs, while teammate Miranda Wucherer distributed 32 assists and added 17 digs. Norse setter Shelby Olsen collected a double-double with 26 assists and 15 digs.
Having dropped a five-set thriller at Wright State last Friday, coupled with Oakland’s upset, it gets no easier for NKU this weekend. The Norse face a major test on the road Friday night at Milwaukee, which has won 14 consecutive matches and is 17-1 overall. The Panthers are 4-0 in Horizon League play.
“Every time you get in October it gets tough,” Hart said. “We’re in the middle of mid-term and four games in eight days. It’s a little bit of a grind right now and mentally we need to get ourselves in the right mindset and ready to go.”
NKU’s Abby Kanakry (7) slams down a kill during the first set against Oakland. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
Contact Don Owen at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport
