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DeKALB - The NIU volleyball team (2-1) won its final match of the NIU Invitational Sunday night as the Huskies defeated Iowa (2-1) in four sets, including two in deuce, 3-1 (27-25, 25-17, 21-25, 30-28). NIU has three players record 12-or-more kills including Mary Grace Kelly (Strongsville, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) who led the Huskies with 18. She also had 10 digs for her first double-double of the season.

The Huskies were well rounded in the effort, posting 53 kills, hitting .226, blocking 15 attacks and accruing 55 digs. Jenna Radtke (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) finished with 12 kills, two solo blocks, two assists blocks, two service aces and four digs while T’ara Austin (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Central) finished with 16 kills for the second-straight match and added two assisted blocks and seven digs.

“It was nice for us to learn from yesterday’s match against a really good Pacific team and come out with a lot of energy today agains a strong Iowa side,” said Head Coach Ray Gooden. “We lost a close deuce set yesterday in the first set against Pacific and to win two today was really good and that win in the first today gave us a lot of momentum in the rest of the match.”

The Huskies dug themselves an early hole in the first set, trailing by eight points at 21-13. NIU rallied in three point increments, outscoring the Hawkeyes 9-3 to bring it back to within two points, 24-22. A service ace by Austin brought NIU back within one and forced an Iowa timeout, only to result in a Hawkeye error to tie the match.

With Iowa serving for match point, 25-24, Radtke tied the match as she recorded a kill. Radtke would put game point back in NIU’s favor after a service ace and put the pressure on Iowa at the end of the set, resulting in another attacking error that gave NIU an early 1-0 lead.

After gaining the serve in the second set, NIU built a lead and never looked back. The Huskies had a six point run late in the set, increasing their lead from 16-11 to 22-11, thanks to three NIU kills, two Iowa errors and another service ace by Radtke.

NIU opened the third set with a service ace by Anna Brereton (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie), the Huskies sixth of the match, which gave NIU a 5-1 start to the set. Iowa rallied for a 13-4 run to take a 15-10 lead as the Huskies recorded a negative hitting percentage at that point in the set (-.400).

NIU improved its attacking as it accrued five-straight kills, three from Kelly and two from Radtke, to climb back within two points, 23-21. The Hawkeyes would take the third set however, 25-23, with the Huskies leading the match, 2-1.

The fourth set proved to be a thriller as the Huskies went up 20-13 on the Hawkeyes. After Iowa tied the match with seven-straight points, 20-20, the Huskies and Hawkeyes traded points all the way up to a 28-28 deadlock.

A service error by Iowa gave the Huskies service for match point, 29-28. A continuation rally, dug out by the server Brereton, clinched the match for NIU as Chandler Kinley (Lexington, Ky./Lafayette) served to Austin on the left side and smashed the ball down the center of the court to improve the Huskies to 8-6 all-time against Iowa.

Kinley and Alexis Gonzalez (Fresno, Calif./Bullard) combined for 48 assists, led by Gonzalez 28. NIU, Iowa and Pacific ended the tournament a co-champions as all three teams finished 2-1.

NIU will return to action tomorrow night at 6 p.m. as the Huskies host Milwaukee (2-1) at Victor E. Court. The match will be streamed live free of charge on NIUtube.

ALL_TOURNAMENT TEAM
Co-Champions: Iowa, NIU, Pacific
T’ara Austin, NIU
Ellie Benson, South Dakota State
Laurene Brobst, Iowa
Lexi Elman, Pacific
Jess Jonata, Iowa
Jenna Radtke, NIU
Kimmy Whitson, Pacific