DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University volleyball team opened a three-match homestand Friday night with a 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-27, 15-25) loss to the Toledo Rockets at Victor E. Court. The defeat snapped the Huskies' 11-match winning streak against the Rockets.
 
"I don't think we were as consistent as we needed to be," said head coach Ray Gooden. "Toledo found the momentum they needed to night and credit to them. The third set was really the difference maker. I think that gave them the edge moving forward in the match. With more consistency, we can play a better match."
 
Senior Brinley Milbrath (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/John F. Kennedy) led NIU with a career-high 14 kills, hitting .273 for the match. Jasmine Kemp (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) added 10 kills and led the Huskies with a .346 hitting percentage. Sophomore setter Grace Balensiefer (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) had a double-double with 39 assists and a season-high 17 digs. Miranda Karlen (Evansville, Wis./Evansville) also had a season-high in digs with a match-high 27, adding three aces.
 
NIU (8-19, 5-8 MAC) broke a 6-6 tie in the first with a 4-1 run to take an 11-7 lead. Toledo responded with 5-0 run capped by two Maddie Fogg aces to go up 12-11. The Huskies then won six of the next seven points, as an ace from Kennedy Shelley (Burlington, Colo./Lewis-Palmer) and two from Karlen put NIU back ahead at 17-13. Toledo took the next three points to get within one at 17-16 and the two sides traded the next eight points. Leading 21-20, NIU closed the set on a 4-1 run with kills from Milbrath, Kemp, and Peyton Tilly (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) to win it 25-21 and go up 1-0 in the match.
 
Toledo (8-17, 1-12 MAC) opened the second set on a 5-1 run that included kills from Emma Swope and Olivia Vance. NIU rallied back behind kills from Balensiefer and Kennedy Wallace (Kansas City, Kan./Piper) to draw the set level 6-6. With the set tied at eight, a Zoe Brinbrich kill started a 7-3 Toledo run that put the Rockets ahead 15-11. A Milbrath kill helped swing the momentum back to the NIU side of the net as the Huskies won eight of the next 11 points to take a 19-18 lead. The Rockets came back and won four of the next five points to take a 22-20 lead. NIU was able to tie the set 22-22, but a pair of errors along with a kill from Swope gave Toledo the second set 25-22.
 
It was the visitors that grabbed the early momentum in the third set, taking a 10-7 lead. Sparked by a Milbrath kill, NIU won four straight points to take an 11-10 lead. With the set tied at 12, Toledo went on a 5-1 run capped by a block by Birnbrich and Liz Beasley to go up 17-13. NIU closed the deficit to two at 21-19 after a pair of blocks by Angie Gromos (West Chicago, Ill./West Chicago). Toledo earned set point at 24-20 on a Swope kill, but NIU rallied to stay in the set with four straight points capped by a Kemp kill. After trading the next two points, Toledo got a kill from Ryann Jaqua and an NIU error to win the set 27-25 and go up 2-1 in the match.
 
NIU took an early 5-3 lead in the fourth, getting three kills from Milbrath and two from Kemp. Toledo then won six of the next seven points to take a 9-6 lead on a Swope kill. The Huskies came back to tie the set three times at 10-10, 11-11, and 14-14. The Rockets then ran away with the set, closing the match on an 11-1 run. A block by Birnbrich and Swope gave Toledo the set 25-15 and the match 3-1.
 
Toledo hit .216 for the match and held NIU to .117. NIU held an 80-67 advantage in digs with Toledo holding a 10-4 edge in blocks. Swope led the Rockets with 14 kills and Jaqua added 13.
 
NIU hosts Ball State on Saturday night at 6 p.m. for Senior Night. Prior to the match, the Huskies will honor seniors Brinley Milbrath and Amanda Krahl (Pearland, Texas/Appalachian State).
 
--NIU--