Women's Volleyball | September 28
DEKALB, Ill. -- After 11 consecutive matches and over a month away from home, the Northern Illinois University volleyball team returns to campus this weekend as the Huskies host Miami on Friday, Sept. 29, and Saturday, Sept. 30, inside Victor E. Court. Friday's match is scheduled for 6 p.m., fans are encouraged to wear white, and the Huskies will sign autographs post-match. Saturday's contest is slated for 3 p.m. and is Pup Club Day and Camper Reunion Day.
NIU comes into the weekend with a 1-1 mark in conference play after splitting a pair of matches against defending league champion Bowling Green last week. The Huskies won the second of last weekend's two-match series with the Falcons in five sets, giving NIU its first win at Bowling Green since 2015 and just its third victory at Bowling Green since 2006.
Katie Erdmann (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) and
Nikolette Nedic (Willowbrook, Ill./Hinsdale Central) each tallied 17 kills in the win. Erdmann also recorded 13 digs for her second consecutive double-double, she posted 15 kills and 11 digs in the first match against Bowling Green.
Crew Hoffmeier (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) recorded 32 digs in the two matches against the Falcons. Hoffmeier continues to lead the MAC, and ranks 26th nationally, averaging 4.93 digs per set.
Charli Atiemo (Milford, Mich./Farmington Hills Mercy) ranks eighth in the MAC in hitting percentage at .298 and 10th in blocks with 0.88 per set.
As a team, the Huskies are fourth in the MAC in digs, with 15.18 per set. NIU is also fifth in the conference in hitting percentage at .205.
Miami comes to DeKalb at 0-2 in league play after dropping a pair of home matches to Western Michigan. Ellie Hanson averages 3.10 kills per set for the RedHawks, ninth-best in the MAC, while Gentry Warrick is averaging 0.96 blocks per set, seventh-best in the conference. Miami ranks fourth in the MAC in hitting percentage at .209. Maggie McCrary is third in the conference individually, hitting .364.
NIU and Miami have met just once in each of the last two seasons, with the Huskies winning each of those two matchups. Last year, NIU topped Miami in three sets, 25-21, 25-13, 25-23, in DeKalb (Oct. 8, 2022).
Following this weekend's matches, NIU will head back on the road as it travels to Ohio on Thursday, Oct. 5, and Kent State on Friday, Oct. 6.
