WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an evenly contested offensive affair against George Washington (6-6), NIU (8-4) finished the GW Invitational with a flawless 3-0 record, defeating the Colonials in four sets, 25-19, 25-17, 15-25, 25-19.

Both the Huskies and Colonials hit over .290 in the match as Northern Illinois University led with a clip of .333 as three Huskies recorded 10-or-more kills. NIU closed non-conference play with an 8-4 record, the most wins by the program since finishing with nine in 2012.

"I thought our team really handled the situation well today versus a strong George Washington team at their home and that the middle hitters for both teams had strong performances. It was good for our group to handle George Washington's energy plays with our consistent level of volleyball this afternoon," said Head Coach Ray Gooden.

He also reflected on the end of the team's road swing that saw the Huskies finish 6-3, a trip that took the team to three brand new cities ahead of next week's Mid-American Conference opener against Western Michigan.

"This road swing was probably as tough and challenging as I've ever been a part of at NIU in our trips – Fargo, Honolulu and Fargo. All three were really good experiences for our group to get better together as we move into MAC play," Gooden added.

Mary Grace Kelly (Strongsville, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) hit .333 in the match and led all attackers with 15 kills while Jenna Radtke (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) and Meg Wolowicz (Manitowoc, Wis./Manitowoc Lincoln) registered 11 and 10 kills, respectively.

While each team recorded 54 kills in the match, NIU's service proved to be an advantage as the Huskies had a season-high eight aces to George Washington's three.

After taking the first set, 25-19, the Huskies trailed by two points in the second set, 13-11, and traded advantage until a 15-14 Colonials lead. A six-point run by NIU proved to be the difference in the stanza as it built a five-point edge and took the set, 25-17.

George Washington led by as much as 11 in the third set, 20-9, and despite a late rally by the Huskies, they were unable to close the gap enough as they fell to GWU in the stanza, 25-15.

Though it hit .400 in the first two sets, Northern Illinois played some of its best offense in the final set, committing only three errors for a hitting percentage of .333. It also forced the Colonials to a match-high seven errors and an attacking clip of .194. NIU would clinch the match with the 25-19 fourth set victory.

Northern Illinois University will open MAC play and defend its regular-season crown Thursday night when it hosts Western Michigan at Victor E. Court. First serve is set for 7 p.m. Central. The match will air live on ESPN3.