Box Score

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside volleyball team defeated its second consecutive nationally ranked opponent at the DeSimone Gymnasium. The Rangers outlasted 12^th-ranked and unbeaten Northern Kentucky University, 3-2 (29-27, 17-25, 25-20, 15-25, 19-17) on Friday night to improve to 4-2 in conference play. It was the Rangers fourth, five-set match in its last five contests.

“These kids love to play,” said head coach Christine Paciero. “They are a really competitive group. That's ultimately their saving grace … they're just so competitive. I think the hard work and us pushing them to be more responsible for their effort is paying off. They've definitely had a flair for the dramatic.”

Bridget Nickel was one of four Rangers in double figures in kills with 13. She also added 16 digs defensively. Caroline Langer and Addie Kramer each had 11 kills while Cassy Marx recorded ten of her own. Shannon Curtis, starting for the injured Stacie Bower, had 21 digs.

“Teams are too good to (feed one person),” Paciero said of the Rangers' balance. “The important part is our balance is on each pin so we have the ability to spread people out. That's pivotal for us. Any good team is going to have that balance.”

The first game was a harbinger of things to come for the match as the teams traded blows throughout the set. The game featured 18 ties and seven lead changes, staying within a point from 17-16 on. The Rangers faced a set point at 24-23 before turning the tables and watching the Norse fight off three set points of their own. It finally ended on a pair of NKU attack errors with the last ball floating long to hand the Rangers the first set.

“That first set was huge for us,” said Paciero. “Just winning that first set and getting used to that speed was really important. Northern Kentucky plays very fast and we were able to adjust much quicker than we did against Indianapolis.”

Set number two was all NKU as the Norse jumped ahead early, fought off a Parkside spurt, then pulled away for the eight-point win. Addie Kramer's kill cut an early four point lead in half before the Norse went on a 9-4 run to stretch things out. Sarah Drennen finished the set with a kill for the 25-17 win.

The third set was back-and-forth again early with 11 ties, the last one being at 19-19. From there, the Rangers scored six of the final seven points to take the set. Two straight kills by Brooke Schowalter made it 21-19 Parkside. An NKU attack error, followed by a Langer kill, pushed the lead to four. Adrienne Uthe and Kramer would finish the set with a block of Drennen for a 25-20 win.

Similar to the second set, NKU came out strong in the fourth and opened up a sizable lead. It grew as big as 11 before a Noelle Peterson kill ended it at 25-15 setting up the decisive fifth set.

In the fifth it was the Rangers who got off to the fast start taking a 7-2 lead on a Cassy Marx block. A couple of NKU errors made it 10-6 Parkside but the Norse were far from done.

They came back to tie it on a kill by Drennen, 12-12. It stayed within a point for the duration before the Rangers finally ended it. The Norse had match point at 14-13 but Kramer answered with a kill to knot it back up. A Cayla Flood ace gave UWP a match point but NKU rallied with a Drennen kill to start the see-saw.

A Langer kill, followed by a two kills by Shelby Buscher put the Rangers back up against the wall with another NKU match point. Parkside regained the serve on an NKU service error to make it 17 a piece.

Parkside then scored the next two points to end it. Nickel gave them the lead with a block and the Norse followed with an attack error to finish the match.

“We still have a lot of areas that we can improve in,” said Paciero. “As long as we maintain that level of energy and work ethic I think we're right in the mix. We've got to stay focused and put ourselves in position to stay successful.”

The Rangers will now host Bellarmine University on Saturday as they wrap up the two-game homestand. The match is set for 3:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Paciero is hoping for another boisterous crowd on Saturday after great support the last couple of matches.

“The girls are super excited about the support we've got,” she said. “It's great for our team because it really inspires them to work every day. It's really exciting.”