Women's Volleyball | September 14

DeKALB, IL – Seniors Jasmine Kemp (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) and Grace Balensiefer (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) earned Mid-American Conference weekly honors on Tuesday after guiding the Northern Illinois University volleyball team to a 3-0 record at the Buccaneer Invitational at Charleston Southern this past weekend.
 
Kemp led NIU with 3.30 kills per set, 0.90 blocks per set, and a .413 hitting percentage on the weekend to earn her first MAC West Offensive Player of the Week honor. The senior middle blocker opened the weekend hitting .500 with seven kills and two blocks in a 3-0 win over Bethune-Cookman Friday morning. She followed that up later that evening with a career-high 18 kills in a 3-1 win over The Citadel. She hit .469 against the Bulldogs with three blocks. Kemp capped her weekend with eight kills and four blocks in a 3-1 win over the host Buccaneers, NIU's fourth straight win.
 
Balensiefer was named MAC West Setter of the Week for the third time in her career. The senior averaged over 12 assists per set this weekend to move into second in the conference in assists at 10.97 per set. Balensiefer had 35 assists and five digs in the Huskies' 3-0 win over Bethune-Cookman and filled the box score later that night with 47 assists, 11 digs, two kills, two aces, and a block in NIU's 3-1 victory over The Citadel. She dished out a season-high 55 assists in NIU's 3-1 win over Charleston Southern Saturday morning, adding six digs, a kill and an ace. With Balensiefer at the helm, NIU hit .284 over its three matches in Charleston.
 
NIU wraps up its non-conference schedule this week when it hosts Green Bay and #2 Wisconsin at Victor E. Court. The Huskies take on Green Bay on Thursday, Sept. 16 and Wisconsin on Saturday, Sept. 18. Both matches are set for 6 p.m. Tickets are available at NIUHuskies.com/MyHuskies or by calling the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225).
 
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