BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Northern Illinois University volleyball team opened play at the WKU Tournament at E.A. Diddle Arena Friday, losing in three sets to both #22 Washington State and East Tennessee State.
 
"I thought Jori [Radtke] and Meg [Wolowicz] put us in spots to do some good things today," said head coach Ray Gooden. "We had moments when we were good in system and we played good defense to put us in spots to win rallies."
 
NIU (2-12) and ETSU (10-3) traded points to open the match, playing to a 5-5 tie. A Leah Clayton kill started a three-point run for the Buccaneers to put them ahead 8-5. The Huskies got back within two when a Meg Wolowicz (Manitowoc, Wis./Manitowoc Lincoln) kill made the score 9-7. ETSU then went on a 6-1 run capped by a Clayton kill to take a 15-8 lead. The Buccaneers led by as much as nine in the set before a kill by Wolowicz and a block by Amanda Rullan Vilanova (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Savannah State) got the Huskies within six at 21-15. That would be as close as NIU got as ETSU took the set 25-18.
 
Just as in the first set, the two teams traded points to open the second as a Jori Radtke (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) kill made the score 7-7. The Buccaneers then got three kills by Braedyn Tutton as part of a 7-1 run that put ETSU ahead 14-8. NIU got back within four at 18-14 after consecutive kills by Rullan Vilanova and Radtke. The Huskies trailed 22-16 when a Radtke kill sparked a 7-1 run that gave NIU set point at 24-23. Wolowicz had four kills in a span of five points during that stretch. ETSU tied the set 24-24 on an AJ Lux kill. NIU had four chances to win the set late, including at 32-31 after Wolowicz's 11th kill of the set. Kaela Massey tied the set 32-32 with a kill, and ETSU took advantage of a Huskies error to take a 33-32 lead. Clayton gave the Buccaneers a 2-0 lead in the match with a kill that gave ETSU the second set 34-32.
 
"There were a couple plays where we on the tough point, and got ourselves to a point where we kept going and had a chance to win it a couple times," Gooden said about the second set. "That was good to see. We've had multiple matches where we've rallied to get back in them."
 
NIU hung with ETSU early in the third set, as a combined seven kills from Radtke and Wolowicz put the Huskies in a 9-9 tie. With the score 11-10, the Buccaneers went on a 7-0 run highlighted by four kills from Clayton to take an 18-10 lead. The Huskies got as close as six twice, with a kill by Wolowicz making the score 21-15. ETSU proved to be too much on the day, winning the set 25-15 and the match 3-0.
 
Wolowicz led NIU with 20 kills against ETSU as Radtke added 15. Grace Balensiefer (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) had over 30 assists for the sixth time this season, dishing out 35. Miranda Karlen (Evansville, Wis./Evansville) led NIU with 14 digs.
 
NIU opened the day with a 3-0 (14-25, 16-25, 18-25) to nationally-ranked Washington State (8-0). Radtke led the Huskies with 13 kills and 10 digs for her third consecutive double-double. Wolowicz added nine kills. The setting duo of Balensiefer and Amanda Krahl (Pearland, Texas) had 10 and 11 assists respectively.
 
The Huskies take on the host WKU Lady Toppers on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
 
"WKU is tournament-tested," said Gooden about Saturday's opponent. "We'll have to play as competitively as we can. It'll be a good test for us heading into conference play."
 
--NIU--