Women's Volleyball | October 24
DeKALB, Ill. — After a brief three-game stint on the road, the Northern Illinois University Huskies (3-16, 1-8 MAC) return home to Victor E. Court to host the Cardinals of Ball State University (12-8, 5-4 MAC).
The Huskies and Cardinals will first take the court on Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. CT for the "Why We Play" game, honoring cancer survivors and fighters alongside raising awareness for mental health. Join the Huskies on Oct. 26 at 4 p.m. CT. for Huskie Volloween (Halloween) to end the month of October.
Ball State Preview
Prior to action this week, the Cardinals of Ball State maintain a 12-8 overall record with a 5-4 MAC record.
The Huskies and Cardinals are nearly even in the all-time series record as they head into this weekend. Ball State holds a slim 41-40 edge over NIU. During the 2023 meeting, Ball State claimed a 3-2 victory in a five-set thriller late in the season. The Huskies have not won in DeKalb since the 2018 season.
Carson Tyler leads Ball State at the net with 3.25 kills per set. Tyler has tallied 234 kills this season and is sixth in the conference for kills per set.
Aniya Kennedy is second on the team in kills per set with 3.03 while Aayinde Smith's .297 hitting percentage lands her in the top-10 in the MAC. At the service line, Megan Wielosnki leads the team with 30 aces, averaging .41 per set.
Sophie Ledbetter leads the Cardinals with 3.41 digs per set while Gwen Crull and Smith lead the team with 1.17 and 1.11 blocks per set respectively.
Tracking the Milestones
Inching ever closer to a milestone,
Charli Atiemo (Milford, Mich./Farmington Hills Mercy) is 36 kills away from passing the 1,000-career kill mark. With 13 double-digit kill games this season, Atiemo is on track to reach 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.
Huskie Leaders
Nazli Güvener (Ankara, Turkey/Elvankent Sinar), Atiemo, and
Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West) lead the Huskies on the offensive side of the net. Güvener leads all Huskies with 3.11 kills per set, for a total of 202 kills this season.
Grevengoed's 219 kills to lead the Huskies as she averages 2.92 per set. Atiemo rounds out the top-3 with 2.71 kills per set and 203 kills this season. Grevengoed's 29 service aces lead the Huskies, averaging .39 per set. Grevengoed has recorded nine games with multiple aces this season, including five in the home opener.
Rylea Alvin (Randolph, Wis./Randolph) is leading the Huskies with .67 blocks per set while Atiemo is in the second spot with .60 blocks per set. Atiemo and Alvin lead the Huskies in total blocks this season. The duo accounts for 90 of the 117 blocks per the Huskies this season.
