Women's Volleyball | October 2

DeKALB, Ill. — After spending eight of their last nine games on the road, the Northern Illinois University Huskies volleyball team (2-10, 0-2 MAC) begins a four game homestand on October 3 and 4 as they host the University of Akron (5-9, 1-1 MAC). The first serve is set for 6 p.m. both nights as the Huskies take Victor E. Court for the first time this season.
 
Thursday night's match against Akron will be Retro night. Two students will be selected to win a 50-inch Roku TV and an Xbox Series S.  Fans are encouraged to dress up in the best throwback attire for the game.
 
On Friday night, NIU volleyball will welcome back the 2024 summer campers for a camper reunion. Youth campers wearing their red camp shirts will receive a complimentary ticket to the game with their families able to purchase additional tickets for $3 at the door. For more information, please contact the NIU Athletic Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225). Fans are encouraged to "Wear Red" and stay after the match for post-match autographs.
 
Previewing Akron
 
In their opening weekend of MAC play, the Zips split their meeting with Ohio. Akron won the first game, 3-1, before dropping the second game, 2-3. Akron won their season opener against Evansville before dropping their next four games.
 
Looking at the stats, Lauren Baker leads Akron at the net with 3.23 kills per set (184 total kills). Baker is also leading the Zips with 20 service aces this season. Emanouela Christodoulou is averaging 2.79 kills per set (159 total) while Gabby Brissett sits at 2.29 kills (119 total) to round out the top three attackers for the Zips.  Eliska Vytiskova is the top setter for the Zips, with 5.96 assists per set. On the defensive side, Vanessa Del Real leads the team with 3.51 digs per set while Karleighana Jones leads the team with 1.02 blocks per set.
 
Heading into this weekend's series, the Huskies hold a 33-11 series record over the Zips. Akron won the 2023 series, defeating NIU in straight sets, 3-0. The Huskies have claimed five of the last seven meetings between the squads and three of the last five in DeKalb.
 
Looking at the Huskie Numbers
 
Charli Atiemo (Milford, Mich./Farmington Hills Mercy) is third in the conference in terms of hitting percentage, sitting at .347. Atiemo is sitting at 887 career kills, just 113 kills away from the 1,000-mark.
 
Nazli Güvener (Ankara, Turkey/Elvankent Sinar), Atiemo, and Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West) lead the Huskies offensively. Güvener leads all Huskies with 3.08 kills per set while Grevengoed and Atiemo sit at 2.83 and 2.63 kills per set respectively. Grevengoed leads all Huskies with 136 kills this season.
 
Grevengoed is third in the MAC for aces per set at 0.50 and third for total aces with 24.
 
On the defensive side, Crew Hoffmeier (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) leads the conference in digs per set (5.46) and total digs (262) this season. Rylea Alvin (Randolph, Wis./Randolph) is leading the Huskies with .78 blocks per set and while Atiemo leads with 32 total blocks this season.