DEKALB, Ill. – Northern Illinois Volleyball Head Coach
Ray Gooden earned his 300
th career victory Friday night as the Huskies swept the Toledo Rockets 25-15, 25-21, 25-23 at Victor E. Court to open Mid-American Conference play.
"Everyone's been so supportive about my 300
th win," said Gooden, who became the sixth coach in MAC history to reach 300 wins. "It means I've been here a long time and I've had really good support from my family, from friends, colleagues, alums, so many different people. Most importantly, the players and staffs I've been around, along with the administrators, to support me throughout this journey here in my 17
th year."
Meg Wolowicz (Manitowoc, Wis./Manitowoc Lincoln) led the match with 16 kills and a .344 hitting percentage.
Jori Radtke (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) had another double-double, her fifth in the last six matches, with 15 kills and 10 digs.
Grace Balensiefer (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) paced the NIU offense with 33 assists while
Miranda Karlen (Evansville, Wis./Evansville) led all players with 24 digs.
NIU (3-13, 1-0 MAC) got off to a fast start Friday night, taking a 10-4 lead on kills by Wolowicz,
Jasmine Kemp (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb), and
Kennedy Wallace (Kansas City, Kan./Piper). The Huskies led by seven at 13-6 before a pair of Emma Swope kills bookended a 3-0 Toledo run that got the Rockets within four at 13-9. A block by Radtke and
Chrystal McAlpin (Calumet Park, Ill./Shepard) sparked a five-point Huskies run to put NIU ahead 19-10. The Huskies led by as much as 11 before winning the set 25-15 on a McAlpin kill. NIU hit .308 to start the match, holding Toledo to a .129 mark.
"We did a good job on the first contact and we won some scrappy plays," Gooden added. "Kudos to our left sides who have done a really good job. We also had some other contributors there in some spots serving as well."
The Huskies led the second set wire-to-wire. NIU took advantage of a service error to go on a 4-0 run, capped by a Balensiefer kill, to take a 10-5 lead. The advantage grew to eight on a McAlpin kill and another Rockets error that made the score 14-6. Toledo got back in the set with a 7-1 run, highlighted by a pair of Maurissa Leonard aces, to get within two at 18-16. NIU grew the lead back to three at 23-20 on a pair of Wolowicz kills. Radtke locked up the set, 25-21, with her sixth kill of the set.
"This was just what we needed," Radtke said. "We've been working hard for conference, so I think this win is going to help us and spark something."
Toledo (5-7, 0-1 MAC) broke a 5-5 tie in the third set with an Alexis Falzone kill and a block by Zoe Birnbrich and Emma Swope to take a 7-5 lead. NIU hung with the Rockets early, then used a wolowicz kill to go on a 4-0 run to take a 12-10 lead. The Huskies led 19-17 when Toledo took the next three points to take a 20-19 lead on an Andrea Stephenson ace. The two teams traded points up to 22-22 when a Rockets service error and a Wallace kill gave NIU match point at 24-22. The Huskies took the set 25-23, and the match 3-0, on Radtke's 15
th and final kill of the match.
"Tonight we did a good job of finishing sets after 20," Gooden said. "It got a little hairy at the end. We could have easily gone to a fourth set, so it was nice for us to finish it off with good serving and good defense."
NIU hit a season-high .253 Friday night, holding the Rockets to a .137 hitting percentage. The Huskies also held a 52-38 advantage in digs. Chloee Kleespies led the Rockets with 10 kills as Birnbrich led all players with seven blocks.
The Huskies host preseason MAC West favorite Ball State Saturday night at Victor E. Court. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
--NIU--
