Final Stats

DeKALB - The NIU volleyball team (9-9, 5-1 MAC) picked up its third-straight conference win Saturday night as it swept Miami (12-7, 4-2 MAC) in Victor E. Court, 25-19, 25-22, 25-23.

The Huskies totaled 11 blocks as a team, paced by Meg Wolowicz (Manitowoc, Wis./Manitowoc Lincoln), who finished the night with six - two solo. Anna Brereton (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) registered 18 digs in the match while T'ara Austin (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Central) continued to thrash offensively as she recorded 19 kills.

“Tonight was a really solid team victory. I know people want to talk about the numbers for some of players like (T'ara), and she’s continuing to work really hard for us, but with our team’s ability to play defense, it was truly a team effort tonight,” said Head Coach Ray Gooden. “Anna played outstanding tonight and her performance was huge for us, Meg was great on the block and Chrystal (McAlpin) came in off the bench and put up some positive numbers as well. It was nice to see positive things across the board from the court and from the bench.”

The NIU defense was the focal point of the opening frame as the Huskies totaled six blocks, four of which came from Wolowicz. The freshman recorded one solo with three assisted. Registering 21 digs in the set, seven by Brereton, NIU totaled 12 kills while only committing three errors to clinch the opening frame, 25-19.

The Huskies were the first team to register a service ace in the match as Lauren Zielinski  (Oak Forest, Ill./Marist) notched her seventh in the last six matches to open the second set. Miami took its first lead of the match, 15-14, but the Huskies took five of the next seven points to take a 20-17 lead. NIU’s attacking efficiency continued in the frame is it again only accumulated three errors to defeat the Redhawks, 25-22, to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Austin recorded 12 kills in the first two sets, hitting .242, while Zielinski closed with six in support of Austin.

The Huskies and Redhawks battled back and forth in the final set as each team tied the set eight times. Miami held a three-point advantage late in the match, 21-18, but a service error gave the Huskies the serve and turned the tide of the set, bringing it back to within one point, 21-20.

An attacking error led to a tied match, 22-22, and a service ace by Paige Dacanay (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) put the Huskies back on top with momentum on their side as the crowd erupted. NIU won the final set, 25-23, to clinch the match.

The win put Northern Illinois University atop the MAC’s West Division at 5-1 and secured its third-straight conference victory.

The Huskies will return to action next weekend with road matches at Akron and Buffalo.