DeKALB, Ill.—Earning their first conference win of the season, the Northern Illinois University Huskies volleyball team (3-12, 1-4 MAC) completed their first sweep of the season on Thursday evening (Oct. 10). The Huskies swept the Golden Flashes of Kent State University (1-14, 0-5 MAC), posting set scores of 25-23, 25-21, 25-18.
This was the first victory in straight sets this season for the Huskies.
Charli Atiemo (Milford, Mich./Farmington Hills Mercy) led the Huskies with 14 kills and three service aces. Atiemo added a pair of blocks to her stat line for the evening.
Nazli Güvener (Ankara, Turkey/Elvankent Sinar) and
Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West) added 11 kills each for the Huskies to round out the double-digit kills.
"Kent (State) came out strong and put a lot of pressure on us early on in each set. The best thing we did was something we've been working on and closing points out and playing fearless. We kept control of the match, even in those tight moments. It was a huge step in the right direction for us as we head into Ohio," said NIU head coach
Sondra D'Amore.
Ella Strausberger (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) notched her fourth double-double of the season, claiming 39 assists and 11 digs in the contest.
Game Recap
After recording the opening point on a
Rylea Alvin (Randolph, Wis./Randolph) kill, the Huskies saw four straight points from the Golden Flashes. Kent State took a 13-7 lead over the Huskies before Atiemo put the Huskies on a 4-1 run to bring the set within four. A Güvener kill sent Atiemo to the service line with saw a trio of service aces as the Huskies took the lead at 16-14. The Huskies and Golden Flashes traded points throughout the late portion of the first set, with five ties recorded. Grevengoed connected on a set from Strausberger for the final kill as the Huskies took the first set.
Güvener had three of the first four Huskie kills in the second set as the Huskies took a 4-1 lead early. A trio of kills from the Huskies gave them their largest lead of the set at 8-3 before Kent State found an answer to the Huskie attack. Kent State took the lead at 12-11 and the teams battled in the second set. Güvener tied the set for a final time at 21 before Strausberger put the Huskies up on a service ace. A pair of attacking errors by Kent State put the Huskies at set point as
Alexa Hayes (Magnolia, Texas/Magnolia West) secured the set win with a kill.
Heading into the final set of action, the teams saw six ties before Kent State had three unanswered points to take a 9-6 lead over the Huskies. Grevengoed started a 4-2 run for the Huskies to tie the set at 11. Mirroring action in earlier sets, the game featured three additional tie scores before Grevengoed put the Huskies ahead for the final time. Atiemo had two kills in the final points of the set as the Huskies took the final set at 25-18.
Huskie Highlights
- This was Atiemo's second game this season with three aces.
- Güvener has recorded three straight games with double-digit kills.
- This was the highest hitting percentage of the season for the Huskies.
The Huskies conclude a four game homestand on October 11 at 6 p.m. as they host the Bobcats of Ohio University. Action will take place at Victor E. Court.
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