DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University volleyball team fell in three sets to Miami on Saturday night at Victor E. Court, 25-15, 27-25, 25-18. Freshman Kaylee Martin (Sterling, Ill./Sterling) had 10 kills to lead the Huskie offensive while senior Anna Brereton (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) had a team-best 18 digs. 

"Credit to Miami, they played well, we were outplayed, outcoached, everything across the board tonight," said NIU head coach Ray Gooden. "They have an experienced team, experienced coaching staff, credit to those guys, we have to do a better job but credit to those guys for what they have done. 

"I didn't get our team prepared enough to battle against a very experienced, and hungry, Miami team, especially after the results earlier in the week."

Miami (17-8, 9-3 MAC) led by a pair in the opening set, 7-5, before going on a 7-0 run to take a 14-5 advantage. The RedHawks hit .419 as a team in the set, while also collecting 21 digs, on their way to a 25-15 first set victory. Olivia Rusek and Margaret Payne each had four kills for Miami in the set, Martin led the Huskies with three kills.

NIU (7-20, 6-6 MAC) held an early 10-5 advantage in set number two but a 5-1 burst from Miami pulled the RedHawks back to within one. The Huskies pushed their lead back to four, 19-15, to force Miami to call their second timeout of the set. Following the timeout, the RedHawks scored six of the next eight to even the set, 21-21. NIU and Miami traded points to 25-25 when a kill from Payne and a Huskie error gave the RedHawks the second set. 

Payne, Stela Kukoc and Katie Tomasic each tallied four kills in the set for Miami, who also had six digs each from Mackenzie Zielinski and Maeve McDonald. Martin registered seven kills in the set to pace the Huskies. 

The third set was tied, 12-12, before Miami used a 10-2 run to take a 22-14 lead. The Huskies scored five of the next six points to trim the RedHawk advantage to five, but a kill from Tomasic and a block from Tomasic and Meredith Stutz gave the set, and the match, to Miami. 

Tomasic had four kills in the set to pace the RedHawks on her way to a match-high 11 kills. Payne added 10 kills while McDonald collected a match-high 21 digs.  

Freshman Jori Radtke (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) had seven kills for the Huskies, junior Meg Wolowicz (Manitowoc, Wis./Manitowoc Lincoln) added five kills and three blocks. 

The Huskies will travel to the State of Michigan next weekend for their final road trip of the regular season. NIU will visit Central Michigan on Friday, Nov. 3, at 6 p.m. CT, before traveling to Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 4, at 4 p.m. CT.