BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Katie Erdmann (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) tallied a season-high 15 kills with 11 digs for her second double-double of the season as the Northern Illinois University volleyball team fell to Bowling Green in four sets, 32-30, 20-25, 25-21, 25-11, on Thursday night (Sept. 21) at the Stroh Center. 

Charli Atiemo (Milford, Mich./Farmington Hills Mercy) recorded 11 kills with Crew Hoffmeier (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) had 17 digs. Savanah Brandt (Pearl City, Ill./Pearl City) hit. 429 in the match and tied a season-high with seven kills. Bowling Green was led by 19 kills from Lauryn Hovey and 13 by Kat Mandly, Benedetta Marcon had a match-high 24 digs for the Falcons. 

Both teams hit over .300 in the opening set, with Bowling Green hitting better than .250 in each of the three sets it won, finishing the match with a .262 hitting percentage. 

"We came up against one of the top ranked teams in the conference and I thought we started really strong," said NIU head coach Sondra Parys. "We competed really hard, especially the first three sets, there were a lot of positives to takeaway. I think that was some of the highest-level volleyball we have played all year, which is what we have been talking about. This is a process, and we are going to keep getting better and we definitely did that in the first three (sets)."

The Falcons jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead in the opening set, forcing an early NIU timeout, but the Huskies battled back to pull even at 11 on a service ace by Erdmann. Bowling Green's lead grew back to three, 16-13, before NIU leveled the set again at 18 courtesy of a kill from Isabelle Percoco (Charlotte, N.C./South Mecklenburg). The set then swung back-and-forth with the Falcons saving four set points and the Huskies saving a pair before Bowling Green took the set, 32-30. 

Atiemo and Nikolette Nedic each recorded five kills in the set as NIU hit .333 with 20 kills and just four errors. Hovey had seven kills for Bowling Green, who hit .380 with 23 kills. The first set featured 13 ties and five lead changes. 

In the second set, NIU built an early 10-6 lead before Bowling Green trimmed that advantage back to just one, 11-10. Tied at 13, NIU used a three-point burst, capped by a kill from Erdmann, to go in front 16-13 and force a Bowling Green timeout. The Huskie lead would grow to five, 22-27, on a kill from Emily Dykes (Winterville, N.C./Ayden-Grifton) as NIU went on to take the set, 25-20, and even the match. 

Erdmann had six kills in the set as NIU hit .265. Bowling Green hit just .100 in the set with 10 kills and six errors. 

Bowling Green scored the first five points to begin the third set before the Huskies began to chip away at the lead, pulling even at 14 on a service ace from Sophie Hurt (Elmhurst, Ill./IC Catholic Prep). With the set tied at 20, the Falcons used a 3-0 burst to get within two points of the set. An ace from Alexis Mettille gave the third set to the Falcons, 25-21. 

Hovey led the way with five kills in the third set for Bowling Green. 

The hosts built a 10-2 lead in the fourth set as NIU took both of its timeouts early in the set. The strong start to the set was enough for Bowling Green as they hit .286 and held NIU to -.088 to win the fourth set, 25-11. 

NIU and Bowling Green will meet again on Friday night, Sept. 22. The first serve for Friday's rematch is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT and will be available on ESPN+.