DeKALB, Ill. – Five players reached double-digit kills as the Northern Illinois University volleyball team (10-3,3-0 MAC) wrangled the Western Michigan Broncos (10-5,2-1 MAC) in a five-set thriller (27-25, 21-25, 25-14, 19-25, 15-9) Tuesday night at Victor E. Court. With the win, NIU extended its win streak to seven-straight, the program's longest since the 2016 season.

"The Huskies went to battle. And we were able to win this round the battle with one of the best teams in our league," said NIU head coach Ray Gooden. "Western always comes with everything, and we have to give everything in order to be successful against them,"

How it Happened: The Huskies logged their highest hitting percentage of the night in the opening frame as they hit .342 compared to Western Michigan's .239. However, NIU found itself trailing 21-19 as the first set was winding down. A 5-1 run sparked by Sammi Lockwood's (Cary, Ill./Prairie Ridge) kill propelled the Huskies in front 24-22. WMU bounced back and forced four set points before Charli Atiemo (Milford, Mich./Farmington Hills Mercy) logged the set-winning kill from Ella Mihacevich (Brunswick, Ohio/Padua Franciscan).

The Broncos took the second frame as they hit .277 and posted 17 kills compared to NIU's 15. The Huskies came within threatening distance on multiple occasions, but just couldn't quite own a large enough lead to claim set two. Trailing 22-18, an Emily Dykes (Winterville, N.C./Ayden-Grifton) kill from Mihacevich and a WMU attacking error cut the deficit to two points, but Western Michigan pulled away and won the second frame, 25-21.

NIU held the Broncos to a -0.051 hitting percentage in the third frame thanks to some impressive rallies that Francesca Bertucci (Chicago, Ill./De La Salle) kept alive. After kicking things off on a 8-1 run, NIU cruised to a 21-12 lead near the end of the frame. The squad closed the set on a 4-0 run after four-straight Western Michigan attacking errors.

The Broncos didn't go down easily as they bounced back quickly, winning the do-or-die fourth set. The two teams traded blow after blow before the set was knotted at 18-18 following a 3-0 Huskie run. However, WMU ignited on a 7-1 run to finish the set, forcing a fifth and final frame at Victor E. Court.

The dramatic fifth set opened in NIU's favor after a Bronco's attacking error. From there though, the teams traded points before NIU held an 8-6 lead. WMU secured the ensuing point, but the Huskies embarked on a 7-2 run to finish off the Broncos.

"It was great for us to win the short set tonight, battle back-and-forth. Both teams hadn't lost their first sets in a while and it's been a while for either team to have lost a set. But both teams recovered really well. And then in the short set, we did a nice job of up 8-6 and a turn, had a nice run at the end and they were able to pull it off,"

Notables: NIU's 68 kills was the most in a single match since the spring 2021 season when the Huskies beat Eastern Michigan. Likewise, the team reached 100 digs in tonight's win, the first time since falling to Central Michigan on Feb. 4. 2021. Bertucci's 42 digs, Dyke's 19 kills and Mihacevich's 55 assists were all career highs. Meanwhile, Katie Jablonski (Elburn, Ill./Kaneland) (17), Brianna Scuric (East Troy, Wis./East Troy) (10), Lockwood (11), Atiemo (11) and Dykes (19) all reached double-digit kills.   

Up Next: The team has a quick turnaround as they face Buffalo (8-6,0-2 MAC) on the road this Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. in Alumni Arena.

"We just have to enjoy the fact that when your team comes together, anything's possible. And it was just fun to see us come together and win some positive things out here in Victor E. Court."