DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University volleyball team fell to 8-6 in Mid-American Conference play Saturday night after a 3-0 loss (26-28, 20-25, 17-25) to the Bowling Green Falcons at Victor E. Court.
 
"It was a tough night tonight," said head coach Ray Gooden. "It was our first time home in a long time. We did a really nice job in the beginning, but couldn't get the momentum we needed at the end."
 
Jori Radtke (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) led the Huskies with 15 kills Saturday night, adding nine digs and a pair of blocks. Grace Balensiefer (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) had 21 assists and a team-high two aces. Miranda Karlen (Evansville, Wis./Evansville) led NIU with 23 digs.
 
After trading points to start the match, NIU (10-19, 8-6 MAC) got three kills from Radtke in a 6-0 run to take a 12-6 lead. That stretch extended to a 11-2 run as kills by Radtke and Brinley Milbrath (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/John F. Kennedy) put NIU up by nine, 17-8. The Huskies took their largest lead of the set at 21-11 following a kill by Chrystal McAlpin (Calumet Park, Ill./Shepard).
 
NIU had set point at 24-16 following a Bowling Green error when the Falcons started to rally back. The Falcons won the six points to get within two, 24-22. Isabelle Marciniak then hit a serve that was initially ruled out, which would have given the Huskies the set, but was challenged by the Bowling Green bench. The call was overturned and the Falcons were within one at 24-23. Bowling Green then got kills from Celena Kanagin and Katie Kidwell to take a 25-24 lead. The Falcons thought they won the set on the next point when Radtke's attack appeared to be out. NIU challenged the play and it was overturned, tying the set at 25. With the set tied at 26, Bowling Green got kills from Kanagin and Madeline Brandewie to win the set 28-26.
 
"We just had to finish it," said Gooden about the first set. "Credit to Bowling Green for not quitting. We just can't play the score. As a young group, we have to play in the moment and unfortunately we went from confident to nervy."
 
Bowling Green (17-10, 11-3 MAC) used a 3-1 run early in the second set, capped by a Jessi Holly kill, to take a 6-4 lead. NIU got back in the set thanks to some Falcons miscues and a kill by Kennedy Wallace (Kansas City, Kan./Piper) to tie the set at 10. NIU took the lead at 15-14 on kills by Radtke and Wallace. With the set tied at 17, Kanagin and Katelyn Meyer combined for four straight kills to give the Falcons a 21-17 lead. Bowling Green eventually won the set 25-20 on a Kanagin kill to go up 2-0 in the match.
 
The Falcons got out to a 6-3 lead to start the third, getting two kills from Brandewie in the process. NIU closed the gap to one at 9-8 following kills by Radtke and Autumn Martin (Tyrone, Ga./FIU). Bowling Green then took the next three points as Meyer hit a kill and back-to-back aces to make the score 12-8. The Huskies got within two again at 14-12 on a Radtke kill, but Bowling Green took the next five points to take a 19-12 lead. NIU would only get as close as six points the rest of the way as the Falcons won the set 25-17 and the match 3-0.
 
NIU hit just .094 for the match while Bowling Green hit .218. Kanagin led the Falcons with 15 kills as Marciniak had 28 assists. Libero Kallie Seimet led the match with 29 digs.

Prior to Saturday's match, senior Meg Wolowicz (Manitowoc, Wis./Manitowoc Lincoln) was presented with a commemorative volleyball for her 1,000th career kill, which came on Oct. 13 against Buffalo.


 
The Huskies close out the regular season with a pair of matches at Victor E. Court next weekend. NIU hosts Central Michigan on Friday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m.
 
--NIU--