MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich.—A battle from the first few points saw the opening set go to extra points as the Northern Illinois University Huskies volleyball squad took on the Central Michigan University Chippewas. The Huskies fell in three sets to the Chippewas, 29-31, 19-25, 15-25.

The Huskies highest hitting percentage came in the first set, where they recorded 19 kills and a .261 hitting percentage. The Huskies, who lead the MAC in blocks, were credited with six blocks to the Chippewas nine blocks.  

"The first set was a battle and I'm proud of the determination the team had in fighting back and forcing extra points," said NIU head coach Sondra Parys. "Defensively, we did better than we did earlier this week and (we) talked about how to continue to execute plays at a high level. The MAC is going to be a battle every night, on both sides of the ball."

The Chippewas and Huskies set the tone for a battle this evening, with the Chippewas taking an early four-point lead over the Huskies. Nikolette Nedic (Willowbrook, Ill./Hinsdale Central) hit back-to-back kills started the Huskies response and began trimming the deficit.The Chippewas offense built a five-point lead through the middle of the set and blocked Huskie attempts to get back into the game. A block by Savanah Brandt (Pearl City, Ill./Pearl City) and Emily Dykes (Winterville, N.C./Ayden-Grifton) started a 4-1 run by the Huskies to tie the set at 20. The Huskies and Chippewas battled in the first set with Dykes, Nedic, and Brandt recording three kills and a block as the Chippewas held off a late charge by the Huskies to win 31-29. 

The Huskies took a 5-3 lead in the second set, with Katie Erdmann (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) and Charli Atiemo (Milford, Mich./Farmington Hills Mercy) combining for three consecutive Huskie points (two kills and a block). The Chippewas battled back to take the lead at 11-10 before an Erdmann kill tied the game. The Chippewas went on a 7-1 run as a kill by Atiemo brought the set within four points. Nedic recorded two kills for the Huskies in the closing points as the Huskies fell 19-25.

Erdmann and Atiemo accounted for three kills in the opening points of the third and final set. A 10-1 run by the Chippewas was broken up by a Dykes kill as the Chippewas forced attacking errors from the Huskies. An Atiemo kill would start a 6-2 run by the Huskies, including a service ace from Nazli Güvener (Ankara, Turkey/Elvankent Sinar). The Huskies recorded two kills in the closing points of the third set as the Chippewas swept the match.

Atiemo led the Huskies with nine kills in the match and was joined by Dykes and Brandt with three blocks. Crew Hoffmeier (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) led the Huskies with 14 digs and was joined in double-digit digs by Erdmann and Sophie Hurt (Elmhurst, Ill./IC Catholic Prep). The Huskies had a team hitting percentage of .145 in the match.

With the loss, the Huskies dropped to 8-14 overall on the season and 6-4 in MAC play.

The Huskies conclude their Michigan trip, facing the Chippewas tomorrow at 3 p.m.