Women's Volleyball | October 15

DeKALB, Ill.— After playing four of their last five games on the road, the Northern Illinois University Huskies volleyball team (10-6, 3-4 MAC) are set to host the University of Toledo Rockets (14-5, 5-2 MAC) in a pair of games on October 17 and 18 inside Victor E. Court. The Huskies and Rockets will have first serve on October 17 at 6 p.m. before concluding the series on October 18 at 4 p.m.
 
Friday's (October 17) game is set to be the Huskies "Why We Play" game, honoring all those impacted by cancer. Saturday's (October 18) will be the "Wear Black" game as the Huskies will welcome back the summer campers. Both games are set to broadcast on ESPN+ with Matt Rodewald and Sam Grams, NIU '12, on the call.
 
To purchase tickets, please click here or call the NIU Athletics Tickets Office at 815-753-PACK (7225).
 
Taking a Look at the Rockets
 
The Rockets are sitting at third in the league standing as we enter play this week with their lone losses coming at the hands of Ball State.
 
Olivia Heitkamp leads the Rockets with 2.86 kills per set and is joined by three other Rockets with over 2.17 kills per set. Sierra Pertzborn has 2.38 kills per set. Helping guide the offense on the floor, Kelsey Smith is averaging 9.38 assists per set for 675 assists this season. Grace Freiberger leads the team with 31 service aces, an average of .43 per set and leads the team with 4.28 digs per set.
 
Toledo captured the meeting last season, however, NIU holds the series record at 47-15.
 
At the Top of the Pack
 
Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West) leads the Huskies in kills with 185 this season, averaging 2.94 per set. Trailing close behind is Emma McCartney (Cleveland, Ohio/Chadron) with 3.00 kills per set, a total of 183 this season.
 
A strength for the Huskies this season, Jordyn Tynsky (Denton, Texas/Denton-Guyer) and Autumn Flynn (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco) lead NIU with a combined 42 aces.
 
Tynsky is leading dig efforts for the Huskies with 215 this season, an average of 3.52 per set.
 
Ella Strausberger (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) is 76 assists away from surpassing the 1,000 career assist mark in her career. Strausberger has seen action in 61 sets this season and averages 5.26 assists per set.
 
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