Final Stats

DeKALB - The first place NIU volleyball team (15-10, 11-2 MAC) continued its torrid pace towards the finish line of Mid-American Conference title race, earning its fourth-straight sweep Friday night as the Huskies defeated Toledo (5-21, 2-11 MAC) in straight sets, 25-11, 25-15, 25-18.

Northern Illinois University's offense shined for the second-straight match, hitting .435 with 49 kills while its defense was also superb, allowing the Rockets to only hit .079. It was the second-straight match NIU hit over .400 and the second time in the last three it limited its opponent to a hitting percentage under .100.

T'ara Austin (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Central) led the Huskie attack with 15 kills while Jenna Radtke (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) registered 11 kills with a hitting percentage of .647. Austin registered her fifth double-double of the season as she also finished with 10 digs.

The win marked the Huskies eighth triumph in straight-sets in its 13th MAC contest of the season. It was also the fifth time in Northern Illinois University's last six matches that its out-dug its opponents (45-28).

"I thought handling the first ball that was hit at us was big for us and we did good job of serving tonight. That really set up our offense for the pace that we like to run. It was good to get that kind of play from all of our areas," said Head Coach Ray Gooden. "If we don't handle the ball the way we did tonight, it's not as easy to hit the way we did so credit to our defense to allow us to do some positive things. Pookie (Alexis Gonzalez) did a great job tonight of placing the ball with the team going up in the right spots to attack the ball and minimize Toledo's blocking."

The Huskies opened with a convincing first set victory, taking the stanza, 25-11. NIU closed the set on a 10-1 run as it collected a service ace and four kills to lead the final charge in the set. NIU hit .615 in the opening frame while Toledo had a clip of .000.

The Rockets were unable to gain a rhythm in the second frame as well, posting a hitting percentage of .000 again while the Huskies continued to pile it on offensively. NIU registered 15 kills in the second period, bringing its total to 32 kills at the intermission. The Huskies won the second set, 25-15, to take a two set lead in the match.

At the break, the Huskies hit .448 and held the Toledo offense in check as the Rockets hit .000 in the first two sets, totaling 11 kills and errors.

Radtke and and Austin accrued eight kills through two periods with Radtke added four blocks, including one solo in the first stanza.

The relentless NIU offense totaled 17 kills in the final set, hitting .412 in the frame to close the match with a .435 average. Toledo saved its best volleyball for the last frame as it hit .212, totaling 12 kills. The Rockets battled until the end but the rally was too late as NIU defeated the Rockets in straight sets, following its 25-18 third set triumph.

The Huskies' middle blockers - Radtke, Meg Wolowicz (Manitowoc, Wis./Manitowoc Lincoln) and Lauren Zielinski (Oak Forest, Ill./Marist) - combined for 24 kills on 39 swings for a hitting percentage of .590 in the match.

NIU will close the weekend tomorrow afternoon when it takes on Ball State at Victor E. Court. First serve is set for 4 p.m. Fans who attend the women's basketball exhibition game versus Saint Francis tomorrow will receive $2 admission to the NIU-BSU match by presenting their stub at the ticket window.