DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University volleyball team opened its run in the Holiday Inn Express Invitational Friday night with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-22) loss to the Nevada Wolf Pack at Victor E. Court. Freshman setter Grace Balensiefer (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) recorded her second career double-double in the match, setting a career-high with 30 assists while adding 11 digs.
 
"Grace is doing the things we know she's capable of doing," said head coach Ray Gooden of his freshman setter Friday night. "It's just understanding those moments where we have to direct traffic more and handle the ball a little bit better. On the whole, I think she's done a real positive job so far."
 
Meg Wolowicz (Manitowoc, Wis./Manitowoc Lincoln) led the NIU offense with 12 kills, adding seven digs. Jori Radtke (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) had nine kills and 10 digs. Miranda Karlen (Evansville, Wis./Evansville) led all players with a season-high 21 digs.
 
NIU (1-4) took an early 5-4 lead in the opening set on the strength of kills from Radtke, Wolowicz, and Jasmine Kemp (DeKalb, Ill.). Nevada came back with a 6-0 run capped off by a Kayla Afoa ace to take a 10-5 lead. The Huskies cut the deficit to three, 12-9, on a Kennedy Wallace (Kansas City, Kan./Piper) kill, however the Wolf Pack took advantage of three straight NIU errors to go up 15-9 and prompt a Huskie timeout. NIU used a 7-2 run to get within one as a Destiny Deyro (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South) ace made the score 17-16. Nevada had one last run in them. Spark by a Jamila Minor kill, the Wolf Pack ran off five straight points to take a 23-18 lead. Minor gave Nevada the set as her fifth kill of the match made the score 25-20.
 
After trading points to start the second, NIU used a Deyro ace and a Wolf Pack error to go up 9-7. Nevada (4-1) rallied back to tie the set at 11-11 on a Sam Hayward kill and Dalyn Burns ace. With the set tied at 16-16, kills by Afoa and Minor gave the Wolf Pack an 18-16 lead. NIU came back to tie the set 21-21 on a Wolowicz kill and Nevada error. The teams then traded points again up to 23-23 when a Huskies error gave Nevada set point at 24-23. For the second straight set, it was Minor who punctuated the set with a kill to put Nevada up 2-0 in the match with a 25- 23 win.
 
"It was a tough battle tonight," Gooden said. "Credit to Nevada. They made some plays near the end. We were right there in each set, especially the second and third. Nevada just made some tough plays that we're trying to make. Hopefully we can understand that now and get better later."
 
NIU fell behind 3-0 early in the third set, but ran off four straight points as a block by Kemp and Amanda Rullan Vilanova (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Savannah State) to take a 4-3 lead. The two teams traded points up to 11-11. A Hayward kill sparked a 4-0 Wolf Pack run that put Nevada in front 15-11. The Huskies fought back to tie the set 18-18 on a pair of Radtke kills, but the Wolf Pack went on another four-point run highlighted by two Minor kills to go up 22-18. NIU got within one at 23-22 on a Wolowicz kill but that would be as close as the Huskies would get. Nevada took the last two points to win the set 25-22 and the match 3-0.
 
Nevada hit .258 for the match and held NIU to a .170 mark. The Wolf Pack had 61 digs to the Huskies' 58, with NIU recording four blocks to Nevada's one. Afoa led the match with 18 kills and added 17 digs. Burns had 40 assists.
 
The Huskies host Virginia at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Northern Kentucky at 7 p.m. to close the Holiday Inn Express Invitational.
 
--NIU--