Women's Volleyball | October 21

DeKALB, Ill. – Concluding a three-game road swing to Michigan, the Northern Illinois University Huskies volleyball team (3-15, 1-7 MAC) are set to take on Western Michigan University (8-11, 4-4 MAC) in a midweek matchup.
 
Action is set to begin on Oct. 22 at 5 p.m. CT in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
 
Western Michigan Preview
 
Western Michigan enters the midweek matchup with a record of 8-11, 4-4 in MAC play.
 
Heading into the series this week, Western Michigan holds the close edge over the Huskies, a 35-39 series record. Western Michigan swept both meetings last season, taking a pair of 3-0 victories over the Huskies.
 
At the net, Keona Salesman leads the team with 3.18 kills per set (210 kills this season). Julia Marr is averaging 3.14 kills per set for a total of 160 kills this season to round out the top two for WMU. Five Broncos are averaging two or more kills per set this season as the team averages 13.55 kills per set.
 
Reeghan Boyer leads the team with 21 service aces and is joined by Elana Erickson with 20 aces.
 
Andelyn Simkins leads the defensive efforts for the Broncos with 4.70 digs per set. Amanda Glanton is averaging .48 blocks per set for the Broncos while Mary Clare Brusek leads the team with 30 total blocks this season.
 
Tracking the Milestones
 
Inching ever closer to a milestone, Charli Atiemo (Milford, Mich./Farmington Hills Mercy) is 42 kills away from passing the 1,000-career kill mark.
 
If Atiemo surpasses the 1,000 mark this season, she would become the 23rd Huskie to reach that milestone.
 
National and Conference Leaders
                             
Crew Hoffmeier (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) is in the top-15 in the nation for digs per set and in the top-25 in the nation for total digs. Hoffmeier leads the Huskies and the MAC with 5.06 digs per set. Hoffmeier is No. 3 for total digs with 364 digs this season.        
 
Atiemo is seventh in the conference in terms of a hitting percentage, sitting at .325.
 
Nazli Güvener (Ankara, Turkey/Elvankent Sinar) is tenth in the conference for kills per set, with 3.15.
 
Ella Strausberger (Plainfield, Ill/Plainfield North) is No. 10 in the league for assists per set, sitting at 6.36.  Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West) is fourth in the MAC for aces per set at 0.40 and total aces with 20.