#16 Northern Kentucky (25-4): 3
Southern Indiana (20-10): 0
Line Score: 25-19, 25-19, 26-24 (Box Score)

INDIANAPOLIS—The University of Southern Indiana volleyball team was held to a .115 attacking percentage as it fell to No. 16 Northern Kentucky University 25-19, 25-19, 26-24 Friday afternoon in the opening round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.

USI (20-10), the fifth seed in this weekend's tournament, battled back-and-forth with the fourth-seeded Norse for much of the opening set. Northern Kentucky, however, used an 8-2 run to close the opening frame and build a one-set advantage in the match.

The Screaming Eagles, who were eliminated in the first round of the conference tournament for the first time in three years, found themselves in a 13-13 tie midway through the second stanza. Once again, the Norse went on a run, this time scoring five consecutive points, en route to another six-point victory and a two-set lead in the match.

USI rallied from a late three-point deficit in the third frame and fought off a match-point to tie the set at 24-24, but Northern Kentucky got a pair of kills from senior outside hitter Sarah Drennen to squash the comeback bid and complete the three-set sweep.

The Eagles were held to attacking percentages of .091 and .054 in the first and second sets, respectively, while Northern Kentucky, which hit .279 as a team, posted attacking clips of .370 and .278 in the first and second sets.

Senior middle blocker Danielle LaGrange led the Eagles with 12 kills and four blocks, while sophomore setter Jorae Bradbury finished with a team-high 28 assists and four blocks. Senior defensive specialist Krista Coccaro added a team-best nine digs.

Northern Kentucky (25-4), which faces the winner of the University of Indianapolis-Rockhurst University match Saturday night in the semifinals, benefitted from the play of senior outside hitter Noelle Peterson and junior setter Jenna Schreiver. Peterson finished with 11 kills and a .458 attacking percentage, while Schreiver recorded 41 assists. Junior middle hitter Shelby Buschur added seven kills and six blocks for the Norse, who won their first GLVC Tournament match since 2005.

USI finds out its NCAA II Tournament fate Sunday at 9 p.m. (CST) when the NCAA Selection Show airs online at www.ncaa.com. The Eagles were ranked sixth in the final NCAA II Midwest Region rankings and figure to be in the field of 64 for the second straight season when the selections are revealed.