DeKALB, Ill.—In a Friday (Oct. 25) Mid-American Conference showdown, the Northern Illinois University Huskies (3-17, 1-9 MAC) fell in straight sets to the Ball State University Cardinals (13-8, 6-4 MAC).  The match featured set scores of 20-25, 13-25, and 19-25.
 
"Ball State won the serve and pass game tonight and really pushed us with their offense," said NIU head coach Sondra D'Amore. "We're going to have to find a way to get them in more trouble tomorrow. For us, the focus is to get better every single time we step on the court."
 
Charli Atiemo (Milford, Mich./Farmington Hills Mercy) led the Huskies with nine kills. After tonight's match, Atiemo is 27 kills away from eclipsing the 1,000-career kill mark.
 
Game Recap
 
Nazli Güvener (Ankara, Turkey/Elvankent Sinar) answered the opening kill from the Cardinals as the Huskies and Cardinals battled early in the first set. Nikolette Nedic (Willowbrook, Ill./Hinsdale Central) recorded her first kill of the evening as NIU started a 4-1 run to lead 8-5. An ace by Ella Strausberger (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) gave the Huskies their largest lead of the set at 13-8 before Ball State went on a 4-1 run to bring the game within two. Ball State tied the game at 16 before an attacking error gave the Huskies their final lead of the set. The Cardinals took the first set from the Huskies 25-20.
 
Repeating the opening of the first set, Güvener notched the first kill of the second set for the Huskies. Emma McCartney (Chardon, Ohio/Chardon) gave the Huskies their second point (4-2) before the Cardinals went on an 8-1 run. An Atiemo kill ended the second drought as McCartney made it a second straight point with her lone service ace of the match. Ball State took a ten-point advantage over the Huskies at 16-6 as Güvener and Nedic combined for back-to-back kills. The Cardinals marked five kills in the closing points as NIU saw points from Crew Hoffmeier (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) via a service ace and a McCartney kill.
 
Heading into the final set, Nedic entered the scorebook first with a kill on an assist from Strausberger. Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West) had a pair of kills that were split by a Cardinal kill as NIU trailed 8-6. Strausberger recorded her pair of kills in the third set for the Huskies as the Huskies would trail by six late in the set. Grevengoed marked the final ace of the game for the Huskies as Atiemo had the final two kills of the night.
 
Huskie Highlights

• Four different Huskies recorded a service ace in the contest.
• Rylea Alvin (Randolph, Wis./Randolph), Atiemo, and Nedic combined to record all four blocks for the Huskies.
• Hoffmeier led the defensive efforts for the Huskies with her 16th double-digit dig game.

The Huskies conclude action against the Cardinals of Ball State on October 26 at 4 p.m.