MUNCIE, IN – The Northern Illinois University volleyball team won its second straight match Thursday night, sweeping the Ball State Cardinals 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-20) at Worthen Arena.
"Playing in Worthen Arena against Ball State is tough," said head coach
Ray Gooden following NIU's first road win of the year. "For us to be able to put it together for a night is a testament to this group and their ability to play together. We're going to celebrate this tonight and understand tomorrow's a new day."
It's the Huskies first sweep of Ball State since 2016. Sophomore
Kaitlyn Bell (De Soto, Kan./De Soto) tied a career-high with 16 kills and set new career-highs with five blocks and a .536 hitting percentage.
Kennedy Wallace (Kansas City, Kan./Piper),
Jasmine Kemp (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) and
JoDee Kovanda (Lockport, Ill./West Florida) all contributed four blocks. Setter
Grace Balensiefer (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) had a double-double with 34 assists and 13 digs, adding a pair of aces.
NIU (3-6, 3-6 MAC) got off to a fast start in each set Thursday night. In set one, the Huskies got off to a 5-1 lead behind a pair of Bell kills. NIU led 9-5 when an Allison Hamaker kill started a 4-0 Ball State run that tied the set at nine. The Cardinals took the lead at 13-12 but NIU won three of the next four points to take a 15-14 lead. With the set tied at 18, Bell put down back-to-back kills in a three-point run that gave the Huskies a 21-18 advantage. Ball State responded with a 3-0 run of its own to level the set at 21. The Huskies closed the set on a 4-1 run as a block by Balansiefer and Wallace gave NIU the opening frame 25-22. Bell had eight kills in the opening set and hit .636.
"Kat had really good rhythm tonight with Grace," Gooden said about Bell's performance. "We also were able to put her in good situations because of a good first contact. We were able to stay in system a lot more often. She's now had consecutive matches of having good rhythm and positive numbers."
The Huskies opened the second set on a 6-2 run capped by a Kovanda kill and
Ella Mihacevich's (Brunswick, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) second of four service aces on the night. NIU's lead grew to six when a
Brianna Scuric (East Troy, Wis./East Troy) ace made the score 9-3, and to eight when a Balensiefer ace put the Huskies up 13-5. Ball State got within five at 15-10 on a Kia Holder kill, but a Bell kill started a 5-0 NIU run that put the visitors ahead 20-10. The Huskies held the Cardinals to a .000 hitting percentage in the set behind 4.5 blocks as a block by Kovanda and Kemp put NIU up 2-0 in the match with a 25-15 win.
NIU rode the momentum from the two-set lead right into the third set. After trading the first two points, the Huskies rattled off nine straight points that included three Wallace kills to take a 10-1 lead. Ball State chipped away at NIU's lead bit by bit, eventually using a 5-0 run to get within one when a Lauren Gilliland kill made the score 14-13. The Huskies built the lead back to four at 19-15 on the strength of three kills from Bell and Wallace. The advantage grew to six at 22-16 following a block by Bell and
Angie Gromos (West Chicago, Ill./West Chicago). The Cardinals got as close as four but a pair of
Katie Jablonski (Elburn, Ill./New Hampshire) kills clinched the set 25-20 and the match 3-0.
The Huskies hit .209 and held Ball State to .131, the lowest hitting percentage NIU has allowed this season. NIU held a 9.5-7.5 block advantage and a 59-52 edge in digs. The Huskies also had a season-high seven aces.
Ball State (5-4, 5-4 MAC) had four players with six kills with Marie Plitt hitting .500. Gilliland also had six kills and five blocks.
NIU and Ball State wrap up their series Friday afternoon at 1 p.m.
--NIU--
