Women's Volleyball | October 4
DEKALB, Ill.—Hitting the road for Mid-American Conference action, the Northern Illinois University Huskies volleyball squad (5-11, 3-1 MAC) for a pair of games this weekend in Ohio. The Huskies face off against Ohio (8-9, 3-2 MAC) on Thursday, October 5 at 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET) before facing off against Kent State (4-12, 0-5 MAC) on Friday, October 6 at 5 p.m. (6 p.m. ET).
Thursday's match between NIU and Ohio will see two top-5 hitting teams in the MAC. NIU sits at .217 hitting percentage, fourth in the MAC, while Ohio sits at .212 hitting percentage, which is fifth in the MAC.
Charli Atiemo (Milford, Mich./Farmington Hills Mercy) has 142 kills this season (.317 hitting percentage), while Caitlin O'Farrell has 231 kills this season (.325 hitting percentage). Atiemo and O'Farrell sit in the top-10 in the MAC for hitting percentage.
Crew Hoffmeier (Louisville, KY/Assumption) is second in the MAC in digs, averaging 4.85 per set. Hoffmeier ranks 32nd in the country in digs per set, while leading the conference in total digs (315) and sits at 15th in the nation. Atiemo leads the MAC in total blocks this season at 64 and is tied for third in the MAC in blocks per set, averaging .98 per set. As a team, the Huskies are fourth in the conference in hitting percentage at .217, fifth in blocks (2.05 per set), and fifth in digs (14.71 per set).
As a team, the Bobcats have a hitting percentage of .212, ranking fifth in the MAC. Ohio is the second in the conference in kills, averaging 13.25 per set. Leading Ohio, Caitlin O'Farrell averages 3.4 kills per set, fifth best in the MAC, while Sam Steele is averaging 4.47 digs per game, fourth best in the conference.
As a team, Kent State has a hitting percentage of .161 and averages 11.02 kills per set. Mackenzie McGuire leads the Golden Flashes with four kills per set, which leads the MAC, while Bryn Roberts is sixth in the MAC for digs per set (4.12).
The Huskies have won three consecutive matches, including a sweep of Miami. Hoffmeier reached the 1,000-career dig mark against Miami (Sept. 29) while
Ella Mihacevich (Brunswick, OH/Padua Franciscan) achieved 1,000-career service aces against Miami (Sept. 30).
NIU returns home for homecoming action against Eastern Michigan on Thursday, Oct. 12 and Friday, Oct. 13. Both matches against the Eagles at scheduled for 6 p.m.
