TOLEDO, Ohio – After losing today's first frame against Toledo, the Northern Illinois University volleyball team fought back and won three-straight (22-25, 26-24, 25-18, 25-19) to snap its three-game losing streak. Katie Jablonski's (Elburn, Ill./Kaneland) second-straight double-double of the weekend and Charli Atiemo's (Milford, Mich./Farmington Hills Mercy) career-high 19 kills gave the Huskies a much-needed boost.

"I'm really happy with our team's response today. We've gone through a patch where matches were tough and weren't going our way," said head NIU volleyball coach Ray Gooden. "But breaks started going our way and we got back to the volleyball that we've been able to play throughout the season,"

How it Happened: NIU (14-7, 7-4 MAC) went up 2-0 in the first set after Brianna Scuric (East Troy, Wis./East Troy) opened scoring with an ace followed by a Toledo (14-8, 7-4 MAC) error. The Huskies relinquished its lead shortly after, but NIU kept pace and reclaimed its lead after a kill from Sammi Lockwood (Cary, Ill./Prairie Ridge) made the score 18-17, Huskies. But soon after, the Rockets finished the set on a 4-1 run to claim the opener.

In the second set, a 6-1 run gave the Huskies a 10-6 advantage early in the frame. NIU remained in control until a 7-1 Toledo run near the end of the frame forced set point at 24-22, Rockets. Scuric had other plans though, the hitter slammed down three-straight kills to swing momentum in NIU's favor and give the Huskies set point at 25-24. NIU won the frame 26-24 as the ensuing point resulted in a Toledo error.   

The Rockets took the first point of the third frame, but the Huskies stormed back on a 9-2 run to give itself an 8-2 advantage. Later, another 7-2 run put NIU on top 19-12 as they were clicking on all cylinders. Lockwood's kill and a Toledo error handed the Huskies set three, 25-18.

NIU flew past Toledo in the fourth and final frame. Before one could blink, the Huskies led 16-5 and were totally in control. A quick 3-0 run capped by Francesca Bertucci's (Chicago, Ill./De La Salle) gave NIU a 19-7 lead before the Rockets could reach double-digits. Dykes' kills from Ella Mihacevich (Brunswick, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) put a stamp on the match as NIU won the frame, 25-19 and the match, 3-1.  

Notables: The Huskies edged Toledo on the attack with a .276 hitting percentage compared to the Rockets' .242. The two squads were even on aces and team blocks as each recorded six and seven, respectively. Relatively, NIU had just one more assist than Toledo (57-56) and four more digs (68-64).

• Jablonski recorded her second-straight double-double of the weekend with 12 kills and 15 digs.
• Atiemo posted a career-high 19 kills and hit .390 to lead NIU.
• Bertucci had 18 digs and a season-high three aces at the helm.
• Mihacevich led all with 51 assists and added seven digs.
• Lockwood led at the net with three block assists and two solos – she contributed 12 kills as well.
• Sophie Hurt (Elmhurst, Ill./IC Catholic Prep) tied her season-high in digs with 12.
• Scuric and Dykes combined for 17 kills and 14 digs.  

Up Next: NIU continues its road trip with matches against Kent State (Oct. 28) and Ohio (Oct. 29) next weekend.  

"We're still learning, learning about the schedule, and then going through the rough part of it. (we're learning) how much it takes just to be able to get positive plays, let alone win a match. We can continue to understand how we can't take a play off or a match off. We still have the ability to play some pretty good volleyball. So, we'll get back at it next week."