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DeKALB - One night after falling to the Mid-American Conference’s East Division No. 2 Kent State in four sets, the NIU volleyball team (12-10, 8-2 MAC) rebounded versus MAC leader Ohio (19-4, 9-1 MAC) as the Huskies defeated the Bobcats in straight-sets, 25-21, 25-14, 25-12. The victory by NIU ended Ohio’s 33-conference match unbeaten streak.

The Huskies outhit the Bobcats in the match by .213 as NIU finished with a clip of .295 while OU finished at .082. The Huskies also accrued eight service aces in the match as five different players chipped in to the team’s service efforts. T'ara Austin (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Central) led the Huskies with 13 kills.

The Bobcats entered the contest with a 33-match unbeaten streak in the Mid-American Conference regular season, last falling on Oct. 10, 2013 at Kent State, 3-1. The victory by NIU was its first at home against the Bobcats since 2011 when the Huskies won the MAC Championship. OU had also won 12-straight matches, entering the weekend with ninth-longest streak i the country.

“I think we did a really good job of rebounding from last night’s match. It was nice to be the aggressor and we put a lot of pressure on them,” said Head Coach Ray Gooden. “Ohio is a good team, they’re a great program; storied. For us to defend our home court the way we played, it’s a real testament to our team and the way we were able to respond tonight.”

NIU and Ohio battled contentiously in the opening set, trading blows back and forth. The Huskies were undaunted by Ohio’s energy in the gym as they trailed for most of the frame. Chipping away slowly, the Huskies got hot at the end the set, tying it up, 19-19, before taking six of the final eight points to claim the set, 25-21.

The battle tested Huskies stormed out of the gate in the second, swinging with precision as they hit .333 in the frame and totaled 12 kills. The NIU defense forced Ohio to commit seven attacking errors in the stanza while collecting two aces to defeat the Bobcats in the set, 25-14.

At intermission, Austin led Northern Illinois University with eight kills as she closed with five in the second stanza alone. The Huskie defense finished with 19 digs in the second set, the most by either team in a set, totaling 32 to that point in the contest.

NIU saved its best for last in the final frame as it totaled four service aces and 10 kills, shutting down the Ohio attack as it hit -.069 in the frame, totaling six kills and eight attacking errors. Austin finished with a clip of .500 in the frame with five kills as NIU defeated Ohio, 25-12.

The defense was superb in the match, finishing with 44 digs and a mere two reception errors. NIU also totaled six blocks as a team, led by Jenna Radtke’s (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) four assisted stops. Radtke also had seven kills in the match for a hitting percentage of .462.

NIU will return to action next Friday with a road trip to Michigan, facing Eastern Michigan on Friday night and Central Michigan on Saturday. Both matches will be aired on ESPN3.