Women's Volleyball | September 29

DeKALB, Ill. – Riding its longest win streak since the 2016 season, the Northern Illinois University volleyball team continues Mid-American Conference play this weekend with a road trip to Buffalo for a two-day doubleheader against the Bulls (8-6,0-2 MAC).

NIU (10-3,3-0 MAC) is coming off a five-set thriller (27-25, 21-25, 25-14, 19-25, 15-9) versus Western Michigan (10-5,2-1 MAC) this past Tuesday at Victor E. Court. Multiple Huskies posted career highs in the triumph: Francesca Bertucci's (Chicago, Ill./De La Salle) 42 digs, Emily Dykes' (Winterville, N.C./Ayden-Grifton) 19 kills, Brianna Scuric's (East Troy, Wis./East Troy) 15 digs and Ella Mihacevich's (Brunswick, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) 55 assists were all career bests.

Likewise, five Huskies reached double-digit kills: Katie Jablonski (Elburn, Ill./Kaneland) had 17, Sammi Lockwood (Cary, Ill./Prairie Ridge) posted 11, Charli Atiemo (Milford, Mich./Farmington Hills Mercy) had 11, Scuric logged 10 and Dykes garnered 19.

Buffalo, like NIU, swept Akron (3-11, 0-3 MAC) in straight sets this past Wednesday in Akron, Ohio. Katrin Trebichavska leads the Bulls' offensive attack with 143 kills (2.92/set) and Mandy Leigh, Buffalo's setter, has 435 assists (10.62/set) thus far. Trebichavska paces the league in service aces-per-set at .55 while Abby Leigh leads the MAC in blocks-per-set at 1.19.

The Huskies lead its all-time series with the Bulls by a margin of 20-8. The last time the two squads met, NIU clinched its berth into the 2021 Mid-American Conference Tournament with a resounding 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-16) Senior Night sweep at Victor E. Court. NIU held Buffalo to .087 hitting and totaled 68 digs to the Bulls' 52.

The two teams' first match is set for Friday night at 6 p.m. EST and will broadcast on ESPN+. Saturday's match is slated to start at 1 p.m. EST and will be streamed to Buffalo's YouTube Page.

Season Tickets start at $30 in the general admission. A Huskie Four-Pack is available at $22.50 per ticket, with a minimum of four season tickets purchased. New for the 2022 season is the addition of 20 courtside seats on the south side of Victor E. Court. For $180, which includes a season ticket and Premium Seat License, Huskie fans will have a chance to experience NIU Volleyball like never before for less than $13 per match. All orders have a $5 handling fee. To purchase, click on the following link.