DeKALB - Trailing 2-1 to Akron (5-15, 0-8 MAC) entering the fourth set, the NIU volleyball team (16-4, 8-0 MAC) rallied to win the final two sets to improve its undefeated mark in Mid-American Conference play to 8-0 with the five set win, 25-18, 18-25, 18-25, 25-16, 15-12.

Senior Jenna Radtke (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) helped rally the Huskies back with a career-high 20 kills, hitting .447 in the contest while also posting seven block assists. Taylor Krage (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) and Lauren Zielinski (Oak Forest, Ill./Marist) finished with 11 kills and 10 kills, respectively.

"(Akron's) record does not indicate who they are as a team. We watched a lot of video on them and they play incredibly hard and we were lucky enough to survive that match tonight," said Head Coach Ray Gooden. "I thought we had good control in the first and we just couldn't get into a rhythm. They put a lot of pressure on us and that's a credit to (Head Coach) Tom (Hanna) and his group. It was good for us to escape with the win."

The Huskies asserted their dominance in the opening set, hitting .364 as a team with 14 kills to take the frame, 25-18.

Flipping the script, Akron played its strongest sets in the second and third as it won in like 25-18 sets. The Zips service created a plethora of opportunities as they led NIU in the match, 9-5, paced by Callie Mack's five.

The defense for Northern Illinois University paved the way for the Huskies in the fourth set as they blocked four shots. While Anna Brereton (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) amassed 22 digs in the match defensively, it was her service in the frame that stood out, increasing NIU's lead to double figures with six-straight points, 20-10. The Huskies would claim the frame, 25-16.

Chandler Kinley (Lexington, Ky./Lafayette) followed Bremerton's service suit in the fifth set, serving on six total points and put NIU in front 5-2 to start the stanza. After the Zips tied the match, 10-10, three-straight kills by Radtke and Krage put the Huskies back in front by three to eventually claim the match, 15-12.

NIU will return to action next weekend for a road swing in Ohio, taking on reigning MAC Tournament Champion Ohio and Kent State on Friday and Saturday, respectively.