Women's Volleyball | September 10

DeKALB, Ill.—Heading into their final non-conference tournament of the season, the Northern Illinois University Huskies Volleyball team (5-1) will head to the IU Indianapolis Hampton Inn Invitational, September 12-13.
 
The Huskies will take on Gonzaga at 10 a.m. and Bellarmine at 4 p.m. on September 12 before facing tournament hosts IU Indianapolis on September 13 at 1 p.m. All times are listed in central time. 
 
Fans can find live stats and watch links on the IU Indianapolis tournament central website.
 
NIU will meet Gonzaga and Bellarmine for the first time in program history while meeting IU Indianapolis for the third time. The Huskies hold a 2-0 series record against IU Indianapolis with the last meeting coming during the 2011 season.
 
A Glance at the Opponents
 
Gonzaga enters the tournament in Indianan with a 4-2 record as they average 13.7 kills per set. The Bulldogs are led offensively by Sjakkie Donkers with 67 kills (4.47 per set) and Taylor Walsh with eight service aces this season. On the defensive side of the ball, Maggie Rickert has 65 digs this season (3.42 per set) while Walsh has recorded 16 blocks for the Zags.
 
The Knights of Bellarmine bring a 2-4 record and share opponents Indiana State, SIUE, and Miami with the Huskies. Natalie Bland leads the Knights with 70 kills (3.33 per set) and six service aces as Mya White has recorded six aces for the Knights. Payton Parsons is leading the defensive efforts for the Knights with 78 digs (3.71 per set) while Erika Smith has 16 blocks to her season.
 
IU Indianapolis has an early season record of 4-2 with 13.7 kills per set and defeated Miami in a five-set thriller last weekend. The Jaguars are led by Jillian Tippmann with 69 kills (3.63 per set) and Grace Purichia with eight aces. With 99 digs this season, Laura Roeder is leading the defensive efforts as Morgan Ostrowski has tallied 14 blocks.
 
Hot Start for the Huskies
 
The last time the Huskies started their season with a 5-1 record was during the 2016 season. NIU would go on to win the MAC title that year in both the regular season and the tournament.
 
The Huskies have claimed five or more wins four other times as they've started the season. Those came in 2011 with a 6-2 start, 2014 with a 5-3 start, and 2021 with a 5-2 start.
 
Leading the Huskies
 
The Huskies are led by Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West), averaging 3.56 kills per set, and recorded five double-doubles this season. Grevengoed is joined by Emma McCartney (Cleveland, Ohio/Chadron) and Autumn Flynn (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco) on the offensive side of the ball with a combined 120 kills each.
 
Helping the offense are the dynamic duo of Kylie Schulze (Wonder Lake, Ill./Woodstock North) and Ella Strausberger (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North), with 4.8 and 7.09 assists per set. Strausberger and Jordyn Tynsky (Denton, Tex./Denton-Guyer) lead the Huskies with 21 service aces combined.
 
Tynsky leads the team with 109 digs while Rylea Alvin has recorded 26 blocks this season.
 
Last Time on the Court
 
The Huskies swept their home tournament, defeating Merrimack (3-0), Indiana State (3-2), and SIUE (3-0).
 
Flynn's 27 kills led the team this weekend as she tallied 5 service aces, nine blocks and was named tournament MVP.
 
Rylea Alvin (Randolph, Wis.), Grevengoed, and Alexa Hayes (Magnolia, Tex./Magnolia West) were named to the All-Tournament Team.
 
Five members of the NIU Volleyball program hit or bested career marks at the NIU Invitational: Schulze (aces), Alvin (blocks), Grevengoed (blocks), Strausberger (aces), and Flynn (points).
 
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