Women's Volleyball | September 17

DeKALB, Ill.—Ending the non-conference slate this week, the Northern Illinois University Huskies Volleyball team (2-6) will take on Northwestern in a home-and-home series this week. The Huskies will travel to Evanston, Illinois on Wednesday, September 18 for a 7 p.m. match-up in Welsh-Ryan Arena against the Northwestern Wildcats. The Huskies will end the non-conference slate on Friday, September 20 at 6 p.m. as they host Northwestern in the NIU Convocation Center.
 
Friday's game will be Alumni Night for the Huskies as NIU Athletics celebrates 125 years of intercollegiate athletics. Fans are encouraged to wear black and stay after the match for post-match autographs.
 
Northwestern Outlook
 
Northwestern will be playing only their second game at home this season when the Huskies visit on Wednesday night in the 25th meeting between the programs. Northwestern is currently 0-6 this season and sees Buse Hazan lead the Wildcats with 2.92 kills per set while Kathryn Randorf averages 2.04 kills per set.
 
Hazan leads the team in service aces with 12 this season (0.46 per set). On the defensive side of the ball, Drew Wright (2.62 digs per set) and Alexa Rousseau (2.35 digs per set) lead the team.
 
National Leader
 
Senior libero Crew Hoffmeier (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) leads the NCAA Division I Volleyball Rankings in digs per set as of September 16, 2024.
 
Hoffmeier is averaging 5.72 digs per set, seeing action in all 36 sets for the Huskies and she is second nationally for total digs, sitting at 206 digs this season.
 
Checking the Numbers
 
Charli Atiemo (Milford, Mich./Farmington Hills Mercy) is second in the conference in hitting percentage, sitting at .403. Atiemo has tallied 107 kills this season.
 
Nazli Güvener (Ankara, Turkey/Elvankent Sinar), Atiemo, and Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West) lead the Huskies offensively. Güvener leads all Huskies with 3.06 kills per set while Atiemo and Grevengoed sit at 2.97 and 2.78 kills per set respectively.
 
Grevengoed is third in the MAC for aces per set at 0.47 and fourth for total aces with 17. Grevengoed has marked six double-doubles this season to lead the Huskies.
 
Sophie Hurt (Elmhurst, Ill./IC Catholic Prep) leads the team with 6.00 assists per set and is joined by Ella Strausberger (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) at 4.09 assists per set. Hurt is No. 7 in the conference for assister per set, with 6.00.
 
Following their matches with Northwestern, the Huskies will begin Mid-American Conference play, September 27-28 at the University of Toledo.