KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Northern Illinois University women's volleyball team rallied from two sets down to win at Western Michigan 3-2 (18-25, 19-25, 25-23, 25-21, 15-11) Wednesday night at University Arena. It was the first time the Huskies won a match when trailing 2-0 since Nov. 17, 2012 in the Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinals against Ohio.
 
"For us to go 3-2 on this five-match road trip is good for our group," said head coach Ray Gooden. "We were a set away from being 4-1. The margins are so slim now for us and for everyone else in the league. We battled so much, and we're getting a little closer to being eligible for the MAC Tournament and a little closer to moving up the seed line. It's nice for us to get another road win."
 
Jori Radtke (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) led the match with 17 kills, adding 11 digs and a career-high five blocks. Autumn Martin (Tyrone, Ga./FIU) added 12 kills and seven digs off the bench. Chrystal McAlpin (Calumet Park, Ill./Shepard) tied a career-high with nine kills. Grace Balensiefer (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) also had a double-double with 46 assists and 11 digs. Kennedy Wallace (Kansas City, Kan./Piper) led NIU with six blocks while Miranda Karlen (Evansville, Wis./Evansville) had a team-high 18 digs.
 
"Autumn did a really nice job and gave our offense a spark tonight," said Gooden. "Jori did a good job with her defense and her block. Sometimes you can't get it in one area, so you look for ways to help your team out whatever it takes."
 
NIU (10-18, 8-5 MAC) opened the match winning five of the first eight points, getting three kills from Meg Wolowicz (Manitowoc, Wis./Manitowoc Lincoln). The Huskies led 8-6 when a Kate Carey kill sparked a 6-1 Western Michigan run that put the Broncos in the lead 12-9. Western Michigan led 14-11 when two blocks helped push the Broncos on a 5-0 run to take a 19-11 advantage. Kills by Carey and Rachel Bontrager capped the run. A Brinley Milbrath (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/John F. Kennedy) kill helped switch the momentum to NIU's side. The Huskies won the next four points to get within four 19-15. Western Michigan then got a pair of kills from Carey to go back up by six, 23-17, and took the set 25-18.
 
Western Michigan (13-14, 3-10 MAC) opened the second set on a 5-2 run capped off by a Bontrager kill and Kennedy Potts service ace. The Huskies cut the deficit to one at 5-4 following a service error and a block by Radtke and McAlpin. The Broncos then went on a 7-2 run, getting kills from Carey, Bontrager, and Meredith Phillips along with two blocks, to take a 13-6 lead. NIU came back with a 5-2 run, highlighted by a pair of kills from Martin, to get within four at 15-11. The Huskies trailed 22-15 when a Balensiefer kill sparked a 5-1 NIU run to get them within three, 23-20. However, the Broncos won the next two points to win the set 25-20 and take a 2-0 lead.
 
After falling behind 2-0 to start the third, NIU won eight of the next nine points to take an 8-3 lead. Radtke had three kills in that stretch as the Huskies had two blocks as well. Western Michigan closed the deficit to two at 9-7 when Bontrager and Janell Williams each had a pair of kills. NIU led 11-7 when the Broncos ran off six straight points to take a 13-11 lead. Carey had three kills in the run as Phillips had a kill and a solo block. The Huskies came back to tie the set at 14 on a pair of kills by McAlpin. The two teams traded points up to 19-19 when a Balensiefer kill started a three-point NIU run that put the Huskies in front 22-19. Western Michigan came back with a four-point stretch to go up 23-22. The Huskies made one last run, winning the last three points to take the set 25-23 and stay in the match.
 
NIU took a 3-1 lead to start the fourth set. Western Michigan used back-to-back kills by Bontrager to spark a 5-0 Broncos run to put them in the lead, 6-3. The Huskies came back to tie the set at 8 after kills by Martin and McAlpin and a Kennedy Shelley (Burlington, Colo./Lewis-Palmer) ace. The two teams then traded points up to 13-13. After a Williams kill put Western Michigan in front, NIU got kills from Balensiefer and Wallace as part of a 4-0 run to take a 17-14 lead. Western Michigan took five of the next six points to go up 19-18 before a Wolowicz kill tied the set at 19. With the set tied at 21, NIU won the final four points to win it 25-21 on a block by Wallace and Radtke to force a fifth set.
 
"One of our biggest challenges this year has been embracing moments and capitalizing on them," said Gooden. "When we want to do that, we do a really good job but we aren't as consistent as we need to be. We've got to find a way to be more opportunistic and not selective."
 
The Huskies jumped out to a 5-2 lead to start the final set, getting kills from Balensiefer, Milbrath, and Radtke. After a Carey kill and a Western Michigan block cut the lead to one, 5-4, kills by Radtke and Wolowicz put NIU up by four at 8-4. The Broncos cut the Huskies' lead in half when a Sammi LaBolle kill made the score 9-7. A Wolowicz kill put NIU ahead 11-8, after which Western Michigan won three straight points to tie the set at 11. Radtke then put down consecutive kills to give the Huskies a 13-11 lead. NIU earned set point on a Broncos error, then won the set and the match as a Karlen ace made the score 15-11.
 
"We know that Western is one of the grittiest teams we play every year," Gooden said. "They were not going to give up. Even with the lead in the fifth, we knew we were not that far ahead. We settled ourselves down and were able to make that run at the end."
 
NIU hit .217 for the match and held Western Michigan to a .197 mark. The Broncos held a 65-64 edge in digs and an 11-8 advantage in blocks. Carey and Bontrager each had 16 kills to lead Western Michigan.
 
The Huskies host Bowling Green at Victor E. Court on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.
 
--NIU--