DeKALB, Ill.— Despite a strong start, the Northern Illinois University Huskies volleyball team saw senior day spoiled by the visiting Falcons of Bowling Green State University. The Huskies drop to 3-23, 1-15 MAC on the year while the Falcons move to 19-8, 14-2 MAC.
The match featured scores of 23-25, 19-25, and 17-25.
The Huskies recorded six service aces in the match, their 11th game with six or more aces this season.
"There are a lot of feelings and hype around senior day, and they (the seniors) did a good job managing it. They came out and played with passion. The first set was our strongest and BG made some good changes throughout the match. We've seen glimpses of our offense growing and our ball control is strong. Our blocking has improved and that's something we've been working on," said NIU head coach
Sondra D'Amore.
Game Recap
It was only fitting that three Huskie seniors would help score the first three points of the afternoon.
Shannon Dunkin (Menifee, Calif./Paloma Valley) and
Nikolette Nedic (Willowbrook, Ill./Hinsdale Central) teamed up for a block before
Sophie Hurt (Elmhurst, Ill./IC Catholic Prep) ace put the Huskies up by three. Bowling Green tied the set at six before
Charli Atiemo (Milford, Mich./Farmington Hills Mercy) had a pair of points for NIU. Bowling Green went on a 4-1 run to take a 13-12 lead by
Crew Hoffmeier (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) tied the game with her first ace of the day. Leading off with an Atiemo kill, NIU built their lead out to three at 20-17 as Bowling Green would tie the set at 21 late. Hoffmeier had the final point of the set for NIU, a service ace, as the Falcons would take the first set 25-23.
Nazli Güvener (Ankara, Turkey/Elvankent Sinar) grabbed the first two kills of the second set for the Huskies as the teams traded points early. The Falcons went on a 5-2 run before
Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West) found an answer for the Huskies. Nedic started a 4-0 run for NIU, which featured Hoffmeier's third ace of the game to force a Bowling Green timeout. Grevengoed recorded her fifth kill of the game, answering a pair of aces from the Falcons. Nedic recorded consecutive blocks for the Huskies as Bowling Green ending the set on a 4-0 run.
Dunkin and
Emma McCartney (Chadron, Ohio/Chadron) opened the third set with a block as McCartney recorded three kills in quick succession for NIU. McCartney's fourth kill of the set tied the teams at six before the Falcons went on a 3-1 run for a 9-7 lead. A Nedic and Dunkin blocked would serve as the final tie score of the day at nine as Bowling Green went on a 10-4 run. Mirroring the opening point of the set, Dunkin and McCartney teamed up for the final NIU point, a block as Bowling Green swept the Huskies.
Huskie Highlights
- Hoffmeier led the Huskies with three aces, marking her fourth straight game with an ace.
- Dunkin led the Huskies with six blocks, almost surpassing her career-best of seven.
- Grevengoed and Atiemo led the Huskies with eight kills each.
The Huskies will conclude the 2024 season as they travel to Miami (OH) on November 15 and 16. First serve is set for 5:30 p.m. CT on November 15.
