DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University volleyball team returns home to begin the second half of Mid-American Conference play this weekend as the Huskies host Ohio and Kent State. NIU will welcome the Bobcats to Victor E. Court on Friday, Oct. 20, before entertaining the Golden Flashes on Saturday, Oct. 21, both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to wear pink to Huskie volleyball this weekend for "Spike Cancer Weekend" and NIU will wear pink uniforms for Saturday's match against Kent State.
NIU (5-18, 4-4 MAC) has won four of its last five matches, dating back to its last home match against Central Michigan on Sept. 30. During that stretch, junior
Meg Wolowicz (Manitowoc, Wis./Manitowoc Lincoln) has reached double-figure kills four time while averaging 3.25 kills, 4.05 points and 1.10 blocks per set.
In conference play, Wolowicz ranks seventh in the MAC in blocks (1.11 per set), eighth in points (4.01 per set) and 10th in hitting percentage (.273).
Elsewhere in the MAC rankings, freshman
Kaylee Martin (Sterling, Ill./Sterling) continues to lead the MAC in kills and points per set in league play. Martin is averaging 4.48 kills and 4.98 points per set.
Ohio comes into the weekend with a 10-12 overall record, including a 4-4 mark in league play following a 3-0 sweep of Ball State last Saturday (Oct. 14). Tia Jimerson leads the Bobcats in hitting percentage at .341, fourth-best in the MAC. Lizzie Stephens ranks fifth in the conference in kills per set (3.62) while Jimerson is eighth (3.32).
Kent State heads on the road this week with a 4-15 record, 2-6 in the MAC. Kelsey Bittinger leads the Golden Flashes, and ranks second in the MAC, with 3.86 kills per set while Challen Geraghty ranks second in the league with 5.88 digs per set. Geraghty also has 2,268 career digs and is the nation's active leader in Division I.
NIU senior
Anna Brereton (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) isn't far behind Geraghty on the active career digs list as she ranks 12th with 1,767 career digs, Brereton is ranked eighth in the MAC with 4.22 digs per set.
NIU will continue its four-match homestand next week as the Huskies welcome Western Michigan to DeKalb on Wednesday, Oct. 25, and Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, Oct. 28.
