RV ONU Bounce Back and Take Straight Set Win Over IU-Northwest

GARY, Ind. – The RV Olivet Nazarene University women's volleyball team looked to bounce back, after dropping a straight sets decision on Tuesday, traveling to the Savannah Center to face the RedHawks of IU-Northwest on Thursday. 

The Tigers and RedHawks played a competitive first set.  With the RedHawks taking four of the first seven points, the Tigers started to gain some momentum as they scored the next four points to go up, 7-4.  Karsyn Delbridge and Carleigh Johnson both marked kills.  The RedHawks controlled the middle of the set and led by as much as 4 points at 22-18.  The Tigers then rallied and cut the lead to one after Rachel Newport and Johnson each collected a kill.  After the RedHawks made the score 23-21, the Tigers rattled off five of the last six points of the set and won, 26-24. Katarina Nikolic, Janelle Skinner, and Becca Bell each tallied a kill during that run. 

Unlike the first set, the Tigers stormed out in front 7-3, early on.  Three kills from Bell, right off the bat, highlighted the run for the Tigers.  The rest of the set was total dominance for the Tigers as they led by as much as 10.  The RedHawks faced a flurry of Tiger runs including a run of four points in a row and six points in a row to end the set.  Kills by Nikolic and Newport, down the stretch lifted ONU over IU-Northwest, 25-15, in the second set. 

In the third set, the two teams split the first 10 points.  This started with the RedHawks marking five of the first six points.  Sutton Bate tallied a kill for the Tigers during that sequence.  The middle of the set went back-and-forth until the Tigers took control towards the end of the set.  At 15-14, the Tigers marked the next three points off of kills from Bate and Johnson and a service ace by Delbridge.  ONU led 18-14. 

The Tigers would only surrender four more points the rest of the set as ONU took the third set, 25-18, and the match, 3-0. 

GAME VITALS

Finals: First Set: RV ONU 26, IUNW 24 | Second Set: RV ONU 25, IUNW 15 | Third Set: RV ONU 25, IUNW 18

Records: RV Olivet Nazarene: 4-3 (2-1 CCAC) | IU-Northwest: 3-4 (1-2 CCAC)

Location: Savannah Center | Indiana University-Northwest | Gary, Ind.

QUICK HITS

• Nikolic led the Tigers with 10 kills and Johnson and Newport followed with 9 and 8 kills, respectively. 
• Kaitlyn McMahan led the Tigers with 13 digs, while Nikolic was one off from a double-double at 9 digs. 
• Both Skinner and Delbridge recorded 17 assists. 
• McMahan and Delbridge each send over a pair of service aces. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

The RV Tigers come back home to McHie Arena on Saturday, September 11^th to host the Lakers of Roosevelt University.  The opening serve is set for 1 p.m. Please visit onutigers.com for the most updated links for the match. 

--ONU—

*Contact: Sam Viebrock, Sports Information Director, stviebrock@olivet.edu