Sept. 14, 2007

Final Stats

Chicago, Ill. - The Northern Illinois volleyball team beat rival Chicago State, 30-22, 30-13, 30-25, to get their sixth win of the season. With the win, the Huskies improve to 6-7 while the Cougars drop to 1-12.

The Huskies got off to a slow start in the first game, trailing 2-7 at one point. But back-to-back blocks by sophomore Jessica Schultz (Beaver Dam, Wisc. / Beaver Dam / Kishwaukee J.C.) and sophomore Meagan Schoenrock (Sylvania, Ohio / Northview) and a service ace from sophomore Monica Lang (Chicago, Ill. / Marist) got the Huskies rolling. NIU was then able to finish off the first game, 30-22.

In game-two, Northern Illinois kept the momentum, using nine service aces, including three from Lang, and five kills from junior Katie Walsh (St. Charles, Ill. / North) to take the second game, 30- 13.

Down 12-15 in game-three, NIU rallied for seven-straight points, including four kills and a block from Dani D'Ambrose (Addison, Ill. / Addison Trail), to take command of the final game, 30-25.

"Tonight's win was very good for the team," said NIU head coach Ray Gooden. "I think our whole team had a chance to make contributions. That was the best part of it. I thought we hit the ball pretty well on our serves. It put Chicago State under pressure, which is what we wanted to do."

The Huskie attack was led by D'Ambrose's 15 kills and Walsh's 12 kills. Sophomore Amanda Tadla (Oak Lawn, Ill. / Oak Lawn) tallied a team-high 22 assists. Defensively, freshman Maddie Hughes (St. Charles, Ill. / North) totaled 15 digs.

"The good thing about our group is that we feel that people can contribute all the time," Gooden said. "Katie was an example of that tonight. She came out, played well, and did well for the team."

The next match for Northern Illinois is Tuesday, September 18 against UW-Milwaukee at 7 p.m. on Victor E. Court.

-NIU