DeLAND, Fl.—For the first time since the 2022 season, the Northern Illinois University Huskies volleyball team won their season opener, as they split action at the Stetson Hatters Invitational. The Huskies (1-1) battled against the Cardinals (0-2) in the first game of the season before dropping the evening game to the Hatters.
 
The Huskies defeated the Cardinals in five sets, winning 25-18, 23-25, 19-25, 28-26, 15-6.
 
Against the Hatters of Stetson, NIU dropped a five-set battle with set scores of 24-26, 25-21, 25-20, 26-24, 9-15.
 
Today's pair of five-set matches marked NIU's first season-opening back-to-back five-setters since 2012.

In the match against Lamar, four Huskies recorded career-bests. Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West) notched her 14th career double-double with 23 kills and 15 digs, while Kylie Schulze (Wonder Lake, Ill./Woodstock North) earned her first as a Huskie, tallying 18 assists and 11 digs.
 
Against Stetson, Ella Strausberger (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) posted a career-best four service aces. Jordyn Tynsky (Denton, Texas/Denton-Guyer) raised her personal best to 17 digs, and Emma McCartney (Cleveland, Ohio/Chardon) set a new mark with 12 kills. Grevengoed continued her strong performance, recording her 15th double-double and fourth consecutive double-double, dating back to last season.
 
"There was a lot to learn from a day like today, playing 10 sets," noted head coach Sondra D'Amore. "The overall theme was that this group continues to fight, and you saw it in both matches today. The goal for us is to continue to clean up our errors (and) find a way to consistently string sets together to win matches faster. For our first day, I'm happy with the outcome and the entire team for contributing. We know there is a lot to grow and improve on for tomorrow!"
 
Lamar Recap
 
The opening set between NIU and Lamar was a tightly contested battle early on, with the Huskies edging ahead 4–3 thanks to a kill from Savannah Gogel (Santa Claus, Ind./Heritage Hills). Tynsky then added momentum with her first service ace of the match. The lead widened to 13–6 after Eva Finnessy (Pewaukee, Wis./Sussex-Hamilton) delivered back-to-back aces, putting Lamar on their heels. Gogel struck again late in the set, extending NIU's advantage to 18–9—their largest of the frame. Lamar mounted a brief comeback, narrowing the deficit to 20–15, but NIU closed strong with kills from Schulze, Autumn Flynn (New Franken, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco), and McCartney to secure the first set, 25–18.
 
There were four lead changes in the opening points of the second set as neither the Huskies nor Cardinals were able to gain a large lead. Delaney Steers (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) made her Huskie debut in the second set as Grevengoed tied the set at nine on an assist from Schulze. The Cardinals had three consecutive attacking errors before Finnessy had her third ace of the game for a 17-13 NIU lead. However, Lamar responded with a 6–1 run to take a 19–18 advantage. Despite late kills from Grevengoed and McCartney, Lamar edged out the set 25–23 to even the match.
 
Lamar took an early 5-1 lead in the third set before Gogel recorded the Huskies first kill of the set. A block by Lamar gave the Cardinals a six-point advantage as the Huskies struggled to find an answer. The tide began to shift with back-to-back kills from McCartney and Rylea Alvin (Randolph, Wis./Randolph), narrowing the gap to three and prompting a Lamar timeout. Out of the break, NIU surged with a 5–2 run, tying the set at 13 thanks to a combined block from Gogel and McCartney. Grevengoed added three kills in the closing points as the Huskies dropped the third set. 
 
After starting the fourth set on a 3-1 run, the Huskies and Cardinals would tie the game at four on a kill from McCartney. Lamar scored three unanswered points before recording a service error. The Huskies trailed by three for much of the set until Alexa Hayes (Magnolia, Texas/Magnolia West) and Strausberger combined for a kill that sparked a 5–4 run, narrowing the gap to 18–16. Grevengoed delivered a clutch kill, and a Lamar error leveled the score at 22–22. Strausberger then assisted Grevengoed for a set point, putting NIU at set point. In a tense finish, both teams traded points before the Huskies edged out Lamar 28–26, forcing a decisive fifth set.
 
In the decisive fifth set, NIU responded quickly to Lamar's early two-point burst with contributions from three different Huskies, setting the tone for a tightly contested finish. Alexa Hayes delivered a pivotal kill that gave NIU the final lead of the set, sparking an impressive 8–1 closing run. Tynsky recorded two clutch aces from the service line, while Flynn, Hayes, and Alvin teamed up for two key blocks in the closing points.
 
Stetson Recap
 
Hayes and Flynn opened the first set against Stetson with a trio of kills, giving NIU an early 5-2 lead. The Huskies extended their advantage to four after a kill from Grevengoed, but the Hatters responded with three unanswered points. The middle of the set remained tightly contested, with three tie scores and no lead greater than two. A late kill from McCartney pushed NIU ahead 20-17, but Stetson rallied with a 5-2 run to tie the game at 22, prompting a Huskie timeout. Despite two final kills from Grevengoed, Stetson edged out a 26-24 win in extra points to take the set.
 
Mirroring the first set, Hayes and Flynn opened strong with three early kills, giving NIU a 4-2 lead over Stetson. The teams traded points through the early stretch, with Grevengoed landing back-to-back kills before Stetson tied it at nine. McCartney, en route to a career-best 12 kills, added a pair of consecutive kills during a 5-2 run that helped the Huskies maintain control. NIU never trailed in the second set, closing it out with a 5-4 run fueled by kills from Strausberger, Grevengoed, and Hayes.
 
Alvin responded to Stetson's opening point with a kill, and Tynsky followed with a service ace to give NIU a 2-1 lead to start the third set. McCartney tied the score at three, but it would be the final deadlock of the frame. Stetson gradually pulled ahead, eventually building a seven-point cushion after a Huskie attacking error, and closed out the set 25-20. Grevengoed recorded four kills in the third set as NIU was held to an attacking percentage of .129.
 
Grevengoed opened the fourth set with a kill, though NIU fell behind 7-3 early as Stetson built a five-point lead. Alvin and Strausberger sparked a 6-3 run to even the score at 14, and a block from McCartney gave the Huskies a brief 16-15 edge. Stetson answered with three straight points, prompting an NIU timeout. Flynn responded with a kill, fueling a 5-2 Huskie run that tied the set at 21. The tightly contested frame continued with additional points traded down the stretch as NIU claimed the fourth set, 26-24.

Grevengoed opened the fifth set with a kill, followed by Strausberger's fourth ace to give NIU a 3-1 lead. Flynn added two kills, amid a 5-2 Stetson run. Alvin, McCartney, and Tynsky contributed late points, though the Huskies fell 15-9 in the final set.
 
Huskie Highlights

• Making their debut in the starting lineup against Lamar were Gogel, Naomi Dowd (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley), Flynn, and  Tynsky. 
• Steers recorded double-digit digs in her first game as a Huskie while Finnessy recorded three service aces in her debut.
• The Huskies recorded an attacking percentage of .429 in the fifth set after recording a .326 attacking clip in the fourth in the first game.
• Isabel Junior (Omaha, Neb./Elkhorn South) made her Huskie debut against Stetson, taking the court in the third set.
• Strausberger marked her fifth career double-double, marking the second straight year of a double-double on the first day of the season.  

 
The Huskies conclude action at the Stetson Hatters Invitational on August 30 as they take on Southern Miss in their final match. First serve is set for 11:30 a.m. CT.