DeKALB, Ill. – Charli Atiemo's (Milford, Mich./Farmington Hills Mercy) season high 12 kills helped the Northern Illinois University Volleyball team (7-3,0-0 MAC) extend their win streak to four-straight as the Huskies dispatched the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles (0-11,0-0 OVC) in straight sets (25-15, 25-21, 25-22). Last night, NIU won their first match of the NIU Invitational against Rhode Island in four sets.

"I thought it was great for us to end the non-conference schedule on a positive note," said head volleyball coach Ray Gooden. "It was great for our entire group to do some really positive things. Not only in this match, but also this weekend. We had a grinder of a match last night, so for us to play solid volleyball today was really positive,"

How It Happened: After somewhat of a tight affair to begin the first set, five-straight kills from Atiemo put NIU in control 18-10. The Huskies continued to pour it on as the set winded down – another 4-0 run from NIU made the score 24-14. A bad Southern Indiana set concluded the first frame, giving NIU the 1-0 lead.

The Huskies logged their best hitting percentage of the day (.519) and never trailed in the second frame. NIU was up 8-3 in the blink of an eye, but USI crawled back into the set after a 5-0 run made the score 16-17, NIU. The Screaming Eagles eventually knotted the affair up at 20-20, but the Huskies kept their cool and finished off the set on a 5-1 run, claiming the second set.  

NIU held Southern Indiana to a .025 hitting percentage in the third and final set, but it was still a close contest. The two teams were tied up at 20-20 after a small USI run, but a big kill from Katie Jablonski (Elburn, Ill./Kaneland) put an end to it. NIU finished the set on a 5-1 run, completing their fifth sweep of the year.

Notables: The Huskies totaled 48 kills compared to USI's 28. Additionally, the squad logged 13 more assists (40-27) and 16 more digs (38-54) than Southern Indiana. Both Atiemo and Bell posted season highs in kills with 12 and seven, respectively. Atiemo kept her impressive day going with a game-high four blocks while Stella Barr (Elmhurst, Ill./York) added three. Mihacevich had a game-high 36 assists and Francesca Bertucci (Chicago, Ill./De La Salle) logged 21 digs, another game-high.      

"Our team's chemistry has been better the past two matches and so I feel like it's continuing to grow when we play well for each other. I think we have a chance to be the best team, and we need to be the best team right now in order to be successful in the MAC."

Up Next: Mid-American Conference play begins next week when NIU hosts Akron on Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. at Victor E. Court.