Women's Volleyball | September 15
DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University volleyball team wraps up the non-conference portion of its schedule this weekend when it hosts the Green Bay Phoenix and #2 ranked Wisconsin Badgers at Victor E. Court. The Huskies take on Green Bay Thursday night at 6 p.m. and the Badgers Saturday night at 6 p.m.
NIU announced Tuesday that Saturday night's match against Wisconsin is a sellout. A limited number of tickets will be made available for NIU students for Saturday's match on a first-come, first-serve basis when the gates open at 5 p.m. Tickets are available for this Thursday night's match against Green Bay at the following
link or by calling the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225). Both Thursday and Saturday's matches will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Thursday night's match is Diversity and Inclusion night. For Saturday's match, Huskie fans are encouraged to wear black for a Blackout.
NIU (6-2) takes a four-match winning streak into this final weekend of non-conference play. The Huskies went 3-0 at the Buccaneer Invitational at Charleston Southern over the weekend, defeating the host Buccaneers as well as Bethune-Cookman and The Citadel. NIU's offense has found its stride during this winning streak, with the Huskies averaging 14.67 kills and two service aces per set while hitting .264 as a team. The Huskies have held their last four opponents to a .135 hitting percentage, which has vaulted NIU to the top of the Mid-American Conference with a .165 opponent hitting mark for the year.
"It's nice to see that the work we've been putting in in our practice gym are turning into positive results," said head coach
Ray Gooden. "We still have some things to improve on, but it's good to be able to see some positives from the things we've been working on since the start of the season."
A pair of Huskies were recognized by the Mid-American Conference on Tuesday for their play in NIU's perfect weekend at Charleston Southern. Senior middle blocker
Jasmine Kemp (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) earned MAC West Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts over the weekend. Kemp hit .413 and averaged 3.30 kills and 0.90 blocks per set at Charleston Southern. Setter
Grace Balensiefer (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) was named MAC West Setter of the Week after averaging over 12 assists per set in the Huskies' three victories. Balensiefer is second in the MAC in assists per set at 10.97.
Green Bay (4-6) comes to DeKalb after going 1-2 at the UND Classic at North Dakota last weekend. The Phoenix defeated the host Fighting Hawks in five sets last Saturday after losses to Drake and Montana. Wisconsin enters the week ranked #2 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 poll. The Badgers are 6-0 on the season after wins over Kentucky and at Marquette last weekend. Wisconsin reached the national semifinals of the 2020 NCAA Volleyball Championship, held this past spring. The Badgers are the highest-ranked opponent to come to DeKalb since a third-ranked University of Southern California squad took on the Huskies in the 2013 season.
"To have Wisconsin in DeKalb, in Victor E. Court will be an amazing experience for our players, our fans and the community," Gooden said. "It's going to be great. This is a great opportunity for people to see the balance of what our program is. You live for moments like that, to get to play against one of the best teams in the country. Green Bay will be a good test for us as well. They're a tournament team that has had a lot of success. Green Bay plays like a lot of teams we will see in league play."
NIU opens MAC play next weekend with a two-match series at Central Michigan Sept. 24 and 25.
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