Final Stats

MOUNT PLEASANT, Michigan - Sweeping its third-straight match and winning it’s sixth-straight on the road, the NIU volleyball team defeated Central Michigan (10-15, 5-7 MAC) on Saturday night, 25-21, 25-21, 25-13.

Northern Illinois University hit .480 as a team in the match, paced by T'ara Austin (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Central) and Jenna Radtke (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson), who both hit over .500 in the contest and combined for 29 kills and only two errors. Central Michigan hit .295 in the match.

The win improved the Huskies to 14-10 on the season and pushed them atop the Mid-American Conference with a 10-2 record. NIU's victory clinched it's sixth-straight season with 10-or-more conference wins.

Austin led the Huskies with 15 kills while Radtke finished with 14. Alexis Gonzalez (Fresno, Calif./Bullard) accrued 44 digs and a season-high six kills. In defense, Anna Brereton (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) recorded 16 digs while Lauren Zielinski (Oak Forest, Ill./Marist) had four assisted blocks to go with her nine kills.

“It was a slugfest. It was like a heavyweight boxing fight. We were both swinging and throwing haymaker at each other but we were able to score more points on quick jabs and combos. The first two sets were very tight and we just made some runs at the right time,” said Head Coach Ray Gooden. “CMU was very aggressive and physical tonight but I have to give our team a lot of credit because they kept and maintained their composure.

Central Michigan played with conviction on its home court, leading NIU early in the match and battling until the end of the set. The Huskies offense was hot in the opening set, totaling 17 kills and only improved up as the match went on. NIU would clinch the set, 25-21, paced by Radtke’s 10 points in the frame (six kills, four blocks).

The Northern Illinois University offense exploded for 20 kills in the second set with only three errors, hitting .500 in the frame, as Gonzalez was perfect in attack with four kills. Mary Grace Kelly (Strongsville, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) registered six kills and hit .500 to lead the Huskies attack.

While CMU’s offense hit .577 in the second frame, it was unable to overcome the Huskies volume in attack as NIU entered the intermission with a two set lead, 25-21.

The Huskies offense peaked in the final period, hitting .545 and recording 21 kills. Austin accounted for eight of those kills in 10 attacks as the NIU offense kept the Chippewas attack off balance, allowing only eight kills for a hitting percentage of .214. Northern Illinois University clinched the match in the third set, 25-13

Kelly finished with nine kills in the contest, giving NIU four players with nine-or-more kills in the contest.

With the win, NIU maintained the top spot in the MAC, assuming pole position last night following Ohio’s loss at Miami.

The Huskies will return to action next weekend for a pair of matches at Victor E. Court as they face Toledo Friday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN3. Saturday’s match versus Ball State is set for 4 p.m. Central.