DEKALB, Ill. – Freshman Kaylee Martin (Sterling, Ill./Sterling) recorded 26 kills while hitting .339, and added 13 digs for her third-straight double-double, as the Northern Illinois University volleyball team downed Western Michigan, 26-24, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23, on Wednesday night at Victor E. Court. 

Freshman Jori Radtke (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) tallied 12 kills and junior Meg Wolowicz (Manitowoc, Wis./Manitowoc Lincoln) chipped in 11 and hit .318. Senior Chandler Kinley (Lexington, Ky./Lafayette) recorded 56 assists and senior Anna Brereton (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) had a team-high 15 digs. 

"We just battled and stayed consistent," said NIU head coach Ray Gooden of the late points in each set. "Every time we play Western (Michigan), they are a well-coached, historic program and we are going to have battles. It was another one of those tonight, we were able to win the right points at the right times."

NIU (7-19, 6-5 MAC) trailed in the opening set, 20-17, until back-to-back kills from Wolowicz and Martin brought the Huskies back within one. Following a kill by the Broncos, two consecutive Western Michigan errors and a kill from Radtke gave NIU a 22-21 lead. The two teams traded points to 24-24 where a Western Michigan service error, followed by a service ace from freshman Miranda Karlen (Evansville, Wis./Evansville) gave the set to the Huskies. 

Wolowicz had four kills in the opening set for NIU as the Huskies hit .345 as a team, Sydney LeMay led Western Michigan with six kills, hitting .556.

The second set featured 13 ties, including 23-23, as a block from junior Chrystal McAlpin (Calumet Park, Ill./Shepard) and sophomore Brinley Milbrath (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/John F. Kennedy) brought the Huskies even. The Broncos closed the set with the final two points however as Rachel Bontrager recorded a kill and Western Michigan (14-8, 7-4 MAC) finished the set with a block. 

The Broncos recorded 20 kills in the second set, led by seven each from LeMay and Bontrager, while hitting .317 as a team. Martin had eight kills for the Huskies in the set. 

After the intermission, NIU trailed in the third set, 18-14, until a 4-0 burst got the Huskies back level. Radtke opened the run with a kill, Western Michigan added an error, Martin tallied a kill and Karlen capped the burst with an ace. Tied, 21-21, NIU scored three-straight to earn a set point as Martin posted a pair of kills and then assists on a block with Wolowicz. Western Michigan fought off one set point but a service error on the second gave the set to NIU, 25-22. 

Martin had nine kills in the third set to paces the Huskies, Brereton had six digs while Bontrager led Western Michigan with five kills. 

In the fourth set, NIU took an early 10-5 lead, forcing a quick timeout from Western Michigan. The Broncos answered with 17 of the next 25 points to lead by four, 22-18. The Huskies trimmed the Bronco lead to just one as McAlpin recorded a kill, followed by a pair of kills from Martin. Western Michigan scored the next point to lead 23-21 but the Huskies tallied the next four to claim the match. Martin registered three-straight kills, followed by an error from Bontrager, as NIU won the set, 25-23. 

Bontrager recorded a team-high 23 kills for the Broncos in the match, LeMay added 16 while Bontrager and Kathleen Reilly each had a match-high 16 digs.  

NIU will be at home again on Saturday night, Oct. 28, when the Huskies host Miami (Ohio) in a rematch of the 2016 MAC Tournament Final. First serve against the RedHawks is scheduled for 7 p.m.