Women's Volleyball | September 26

DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University volleyball team looks to ride the momentum of last weekend's sweep of Toledo and Ball State to open Mid-American Conference play when it hosts Western Michigan Thursday night at 7 p.m., before travelling for a 2 p.m. match at Miami on Sunday.
 
The Huskies' wins over Toledo and Ball State marked the first time this season NIU won consecutive matches. The 3-0 victory over the Rockets marked Gooden's 300^th win as head coach. He is the sixth coach in MAC history to reach that mark.
 
"I think we played a little better defense against Toledo," said Gooden. "I think we did a better job managing situations. We've had moments where we've played well, but last weekend we were able to do that for longer stretches. That's what helped us get over the hump and start conference play on the right foot."
 
Senior Meg Wolowicz (Manitowoc, Wis./Manitowoc Lincoln) was named the MAC West Offensive Player of the Week for the second straight week on Monday. Wolowicz led the NIU offense with 16 kills against Toledo and 17 against Ball State. She hit .300 for the weekend and now leads the MAC in kills with 4.15 per set. Over her last seven matches, Wolowicz is averaging 4.89 kills per set with a .266 hitting percentage.
 
"As she continues to learn the outside hitter position, she continues to improve and have a better understanding of what's going on," Gooden said. "A lot of times, those awards are a reflection of the team's performance. I think she'll be the first one to say we passed the ball well enough to run in system. We set the ball at times for her to be successful, and she did a good job of taking advantage of those situations."
 
Jori Radtke (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) has also moved up into the MAC leaders in kills. Radtke is sixth in the conference with 3.33 kills per set. She has shown to be an all-around player, recording double-doubles in six of her last seven matches. Radtke had 15 kills in both wins last weekend with 10 digs against Toledo and 17 against Ball State.
 
"Jori's got the skills to be a complete player and she plays that role," Gooden said about Radtke. "She's a six-rotation player for us and does some really good things. She, like a lot of our players, is continuing to learn how they can get better and improve. She's continuously working on parts of her game that she knows needs work. Jori has made a commitment to being not just one of the best players on our team, but in the league as well."
 
Western Michigan enters Thursday's match 10-6 on the season but 0-2 in the MAC after home losses to Ball State in four sets and Toledo in five sets last weekend. The Broncos lead the conference with a team hitting percentage of .233. Sophomore Rachel Bontrager is second in the MAC in kills, behind Wolowicz, with four per set. Miami is 10-4 entering the week and plays Bowling Green on Thursday night before Sunday's matchup. The Redhawks opened MAC play on the road last weekend with sweeps of Akron and Buffalo. Miami is second in the conference in opponent hitting percentage at .161.
 
"It's always been a battle against Western Michigan," said Gooden about Thursday night's opponent. "They have so much success there. You throw the records out every time we play and it's a battle. Last year, we split two tough four-set matches. We expect nothing different. They're trying to get themselves on track and we're trying to continue to move forward. We're preparing for another really good match between two good teams."
 
Thursday night's match is Diversity and Inclusion Night. The first 70 students in attendance at the match will receive a free meal voucher. It will also be broadcast on ESPN3, as will Sunday's match at Miami.
 
--NIU--