MUNCIE, Ind. – Four Huskies reached double figure kills as the Northern Illinois University volleyball team won its third-straight match on Saturday night with a 23-25, 25-20, 19-25, 25-19, 15-13, victory over Ball State at Worthen Arena. Freshman Kaylee Martin (Sterling, Ill./Sterling) recorded 21 kills and 14 digs for her second double-double in as many nights. 

Freshman Jori Radtke (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) added 13 kills, junior Meg Wolowicz (Manitowoc, Wis./Manitowoc Lincoln) chipped in 12 kills and sophomore Brinley Milbrath (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/John F. Kennedy) tallied a career-best 10 kills. 

"We are continuing to learn how to handle situations," said NIU head coach Ray Gooden. "We aren't playing as high and low. Little-by-little the group understands what the situations are and we are able to handle them better. Tonight, we knew in the first and third sets we errored ourselves out of them, we made too many pure errors. 

"In the second and fourth, we were playing more consistent volleyball and in the fifth set we were doing some really good things, won a couple tough points. They made a run back at the end, which we knew they would do, but we were able to win another tough point and win it in the end."

With the first set tied, 5-5, Ball State scored seven of the next eight to take a 12-6 lead, but the Huskies responded and tied the set, 16-16. The Huskies and Cardinals traded points to 23-23 while a kill from Brooklyn Goodsel, followed by an ace from Goodsel gave the opening set to Ball State. 

Goodsel had five kills in the opening set and the Cardinals committed just two attack errors in the frame. Martin paced the Huskies with seven first-set kills. 

The second set was knotted, 20-20, when NIU (4-17, 3-3 MAC) closed with the final five points of the set to even the match at one set each heading to halftime. A kill by freshman Kennedy Wallace (Kansas City, Mo./Piper), an error by Ball State and three kills from Martin closed the set for the Huskies and sent the teams to the intermission tied. 

Martin had five kills in the set and the Huskies tallied 16 as a team, with just four errors, to hit .293 in the second set. 

After halftime, Ball State jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead in the third set. NIU got back within a point twice, 13-12 and 15-14, but was unable to get any closer. The Cardinals led 22-19 before recording three-straight kills to close the set, 25-19. 

Ball State (12-7, 4-2 MAC) hit .238 in the third compared to just .143 for NIU; senior Anna Brereton (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) recorded seven digs in the set for the Huskies. 

Brereton finished with a match-high 22 digs, Kinley added 12 and freshman Miranda Karlen (Evansville, Wis./Evansville) chipped in 11. 

A five-point burst gave NIU a 16-11 lead in the fourth set. Milbrath opened the run with a kill, Wolowicz added a kills and Brereton sandwiched a pair of aces around a Ball State error to give the Huskies a five-point edge. With the NIU lead still at five, 21-16, Ball State scored the next three to close the gap to just a pair. NIU responded with the next four points however, three on kills from Radtke, as the Huskies forced a fifth set. 

Radtke and Wolowicz each had four kills in the set while Milbrath had a perfect three kills on three swings. 

In the fifth, it was NIU's turn to jump out of the gates quickly, scoring the first five points. The Huskies led by four, 13-9, after an ace from Karlen but Ball State answered with the next three point to close the gap to just one, 13-12. Following a timeout, Martin tallied a kill to give NIU match point. Ball State saved the first match point with a kill from Goodsel but Wolowicz finished the match on the following play, giving NIU the set, 15-13, as the Huskies completed a weekend sweep and won their third-straight match. 

NIU tallied seven kills with just one error in the fifth set while Ball State posted 10 kills with six errors. 

Goodsel finished the match with 21 kills for the Cardinals; Kate Avila led Ball State with 21 digs. 

The Huskies will be back on the road next weekend when they travel to Buffalo and Akron. NIU will visit Buffalo on Friday, Oct. 13, before traveling to Akron on Saturday, Oct. 14.