DAYTON, Ohio – A championship appearance is on the horizon for the Green Bay volleyball team for the first time since the Phoenix won the Horizon League Tournament in 2018. The Phoenix down Northern Kentucky in Saturday's semifinal with a reverse sweep (21-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21, 15-13) at CJ McLin Gymnasium.
The Phoenix was led by 22 kills from Hannah Vanden Berg, while Tiffany Paalman also chipped in with 18 kills with a .351 hitting percentage. Cora Behnke registered a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs. On the defensive end, Emma Best chipped in with 16 digs to go with six blocks from Ellie Kurpeikis.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 | Northern Kentucky was able to grab an early 1-0 advantage with a 25-21 win in the first set. It was back-and-forth at the start, with the two teams finding themselves tied at 10-10. The Norse then went on a 10-5 run to give them a 20-15 lead that would prove to be enough to secure the win.
SET 2 | Green Bay dropped the second set as well, 25-22, digging a 2-0 deficit in the match. After NKU built up a 22-14 lead, the Phoenix made it interesting with a 7-1 run to make the score 23-21, but NKU was able to hold onto the lead and close the set out.
SET 3 | Green Bay got back into the match with a 25-22 win in the third to make it 2-1. The Phoenix built a commanding 23-16 lead that NKU would cut down to 23-22. However, GB grabbed the last two points to close it out. The Phoenix collected 17 kills and got a boost from three aces in the stanza.
SET 4 | Green Bay kept it rolling in the fourth, winning the set 25-21 to bring the match level at two sets apiece. The Green & White never trailed in the frame, and got a solid defensive performance from the front row, blocking five Northern Kentucky attacks in the and capitalizing on 10 Northern Kentucky attacking errors.
SET 5 | The Phoenix completed the comeback with a nail-biting 15-13 fifth-set victory. They led by as many as six points at 10-4, but the Norse made it interesting and brought the score to 14-13 before GB closed the match out thanks to Paalman's 18th kill of the night.
GAME NOTES
» It's the first reverse sweep for GB since they did it against IUPUI on Sept. 23, 2023.
» Green Bay had three players in double figures in kills.
» Abby Gardner chipped in with 15 digs while Emma Johnson finished with 13.
» Cora Behnke had a team-high three aces in the win.
» Green Bay attackers were helped by a match-high 49 assists from Emma Johnson.
CHAMPIONSHIP ASPIRATIONS
Tomorrow will be the fifth Horizon League Championship appearance in Green Bay volleyball history. GB is 2-2 in the four previous matches and have never matched up with Wright State in the Championship match. Wright State is looking to make it two straight Horizon League titles after winning last year's Championship over Northern Kentucky, 3-0.
ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS
The Phoenix is looking to make their third NCAA Tournament Appearance in program history, and second during Abbey Sutherland's tenure. GB made tournament appearances in 2003 and 2018.
The all-time series history between Wright State and Green Bay is fairly even, with the Raiders holding a 39-31 advantage. WSU has had Green Bay's number in recent years, winning nine straight matches dating back to Nov. 2, 2019.
###
For the latest and most up-to-date information on Green Bay Athletics and Green Bay Volleyball, please visit GreenBayPhoenix.com.
Follow us on Twitter: @GBPhoenix and @GBPhoenixVB
Follow us on Instagram: @GBPhoenix and @GBPhoenixVB
Like Green Bay Phoenix Athletics and Green Bay Phoenix Volleyball on Facebook.
---GreenBayPhoenix.com--
