DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University volleyball team won its first match of the season Thursday night at Victor E. Court, defeating the Toledo Rockets 3-2 (25-19, 18-25, 25-23, 16-25, 15-13).
 
Sophomore outside hitter Katie Jablonski (Elburn, Ill./New Hampshire) led all players in the match with 20 kills, hitting .319. Grace Balensiefer (Lafayette, Ind./McCutchen) had her second straight double-double with 43 assists and 11 digs. Kennedy Wallace (Kansas City, Kan./Piper) led NIU with seven blocks and added seven kills. Samantha Juarez (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) tied her career-high with 25 digs.
 
"These two teams tonight are trying to show all the good work they've been doing so far," said head coach Ray Gooden. "Toledo's got a really good team and battles hard. It was a good west division battle and good for us to be able to have ebb and flow and still come up on the good side tonight."
 
Toledo won three of the first four points in the final set behind kills from Chloee Kleespies and Rachel Pierce. Down 6-4, the Huskies got three kills from Brianna Scuric (East Troy, Wis./East Troy) in a 4-0 run to take an 8-6 lead. NIU led 9-7 when the Rockets won three straight points to go up 10-9. Jablonski then put down three kills over the next four points to give the hosts a 12-11 lead. Taylor Alt tied the set at 12 for Toledo, then the Rockets took a 13-12 advantage on an NIU error. That would be the Rockets last point of the match. Kills from Jablonski and Wallace, as well as a block by Wallace and Jasmine Kemp (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) on match point, gave the Huskies the set 15-12 and the match 3-2.
 
NIU (1-2, 1-2 MAC) came out firing in the first set, hitting .423 with 14 kills to only three errors. The Huskies took a 16-11 lead after a 4-1 run on kills from Wallace, Balensiefer and JoDee Kovanda (Lockport, Ill./West Florida). NIU earned set point at 24-18 following a Jablonski kill and Wallace solo block. The Rockets fought off one set point put Jablonski's third kill gave the Huskies' the opening set 25-19.
 
"I think that it was good for us to have some positives," Gooden said about the start to the match for NIU. "It was nice to see some of our people get out to a good start and do a nice job. We got some more balance and it really helped us out a lot."
 
Toledo returned the favor in set two, hitting .333 while holding NIU to .029 to win it 25-18 and tie the match at one set all. NIU ran out to a 7-3 lead in set three behind kills from Kovanda, Jablonski and Kaitlyn Bell (De Soto, Kan./De Soto) as well as a block from Kovanda and Jasmine Kemp (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb). The Rockets came back with a 10-3 run, highlighted by a pair of Kleespies blocks, to go up 14-11. NIU battled back to tie the set at 16 on a Wallace block. Toledo then ran off three straight points to break an 18-18 tie and go up 21-18. Sparked by a Scuric kill, the Huskies ran off four straight points to take a 22-21 lead. Toledo got up 23-22, but the Huskies won the final three points to take the set 25-23 and go up 2-1 in the match.
 
The two teams traded points to start the fourth set, playing to a 9-9 tie. Toledo broke the tie in a big way, rattling off 15 straight points off the serve of Abby Ray to take a 24-9 lead. The Huskies did run off seven straight points to get to 24-16 but a Kleespies kill gave the Rockets the set 25-16 to force a fifth and deciding set.
 
NIU hit .163 for the match to Toledo's .239. The Rockets also held a 75-67 advantage in digs and a 14.0-12.0 edge in blocks. Kleespies led Toledo with 17 kills and Rachel Pierce added 15.
 
The Huskies and Rockets conclude their series Friday at 4 p.m.
 
--NIU--