DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University volleyball team is back in action this week at Victor E. Court, hosting the Eastern Michigan Eagles on Thursday at 6 p.m. and Friday at 4 p.m.
Thursday's match will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Friday's match available on NIUTube, part of Huskie All-Access on NIUHuskies.com. A 24-hour pass to NIUTube costs $6.95 with a monthly recurring subscription available for $10.95 per month.
Click here for more information on Huskie All-Access.
NIU (1-5, 1-5 MAC) looks to snap a three-match losing streak this week after dropping both matches at Central Michigan last week. The Huskies rallied from 2-1 down last Thursday to win the fourth set 26-24 over the Chippewas and force a fifth and deciding set, which Central Michigan won 15-11. Sophomore
Katie Jablonski (Elburn, Ill./New Hampshire) led four Huskies in double figure kills with 16 and added 19 digs.
JoDee Kovanda (Lockport, Ill./West Florida) and
Kennedy Wallace (Kansas City, Kan./Piper) each had 15. Wallace led NIU with 10 kills in last Friday's four-set loss.
Over the last four matches, Jablonski is averaging 3.24 kills and 2.35 digs per set. She leads the team so far this season with seven service aces. As a team, NIU is fifth in the Mid-American Conference in blocks averaging 2.08 per set. Junior
Angie Gromos (West Chicago, Ill./West Chicago) is tied for sixth in the conference with 1.00 blocks per set. Three other Huskies are averaging over 0.5 blocks per set in the early going this season, including Wallace's 0.72 blocks per set and
Jasmine Kemp's (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) 0.71 blocks per set.
Eastern Michigan (0-2, 0-2 MAC) opened its 2021 spring season last week against Western Michigan after having its first four scheduled matches postponed. The Eagles lost in three sets last Thursday and in four sets on Friday. Senior outside hitter Franki Strefling leads Eastern Michigan in kills and digs with 4.0 kills and 4.0 digs per set.
Following this week's series, NIU goes on the road to take on Ball State Feb. 18-19.
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