INDIANAPOLIS, Ind—Splitting action at the IU Indianapolis Hampton Inn Invitational, the Northern Illinois University Huskies (6-2) took on Gonzaga and Bellarmine in a combined nine-set battle.  The Huskies dropped the opening set against the Bulldogs of Gonzaga (4-3) 11-25, before winning the next three sets, 25-19, 25-18, and 27-25. NIU was down early against Bellarmine (4-4), dropping the opening sets 16-25 and 19-25, before taking sets three and four with scores of 25-18 and 25-22. The Huskies fell in the fifth and final set 15-9.
 
Emma McCartney (Cleveland, Ohio/Chadron) had a career performance against the Bulldogs, leading all players with 20 kills in the game. McCartney also recorded career bests with 4 blocks and 23.5 points.
 
Autumn Flynn (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco) and Ella Strausberger (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) led the Huskies with three service aces each as NIU recorded 11 in the contest. Flynn's three aces set a new career best for the junior middle blocker.
 
McCartney and Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West) led the Huskies against Bellarmine with 15 and 12 kills each. Delaney Steers (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) led the Huskies with three service aces in her first collegiate start.
 
Kylie Schulze (Wonder Lake, Ill./Woodstock North) set a new career best in assists with 23 against the Knights.
 
"We played two very different opponents today and they pushed us in a positive way," noted Head Coach Sondra D'Amore. "We fought through moments that weren't out best game and still were able to pull out a lot of close sets. I'm proud of our overall effort to combat these challenges."
 
Gonzaga Recap (NIU 3, Gonzaga 1)
 
McCartney and Flynn recorded the first two kills of the set for the Huskies as the Zags took an early 11-3 lead over the Huskies. Grevengoed got in on the action with a pair of kills as NIU looks to answer a hot Zags offense. McCartney recorded a trio of kills and a block with a late 4-1 run by NIU but were unable to overcome the deficit and fell in the opening set.
 
McCartney and Flynn mirrored the start of the first set, recording the first kills for the Huskies as they started a 6-2 run in the second set. Gonzaga tied the set at eight on an attacking error by NIU before three unanswered points by the Huskies gave them the lead. NIU never trailed again in the second set as they cruised to a 25-19 set two victory.
 
After getting down early in the third, an Autumn Flynn kil started a 7-0 run for the Huskies to make in 8-5. The Zags would bring the game within one at 9-8 before Flynn answered with a kill. McCartney had a 6-3 run for the Huskies with three consecutive kills as NIU took a 21-15 lead over Gonzaga. Grevengoed had the final kill of the set for NIU as a pair of attacking error by the Zags gave NIU a 2-1 lead.
 
Rylea Alvin (Randolph, Wis./Randolph) recorded the opening kill in the fourth set for the Huskies, answering a 4-0 start by the Zags. The teams traded points as Gonzaga maintained a three-point advantage over NIU until a McCartney kill brought them within two at 10-8. Gonzaga went on a 5-2 run to make it 14-9 before NIU responded with a 4-2 run of their own. Gonzaga was the first team to reach 20 points as a McCartney kill started NIU on a 5-2 run to tie the game at 22. A pair of points, including a service error by Gonzaga, put NIU at match point before the set would be tied at 25. Grevengoed and McCartney had the final two kills as NIU took the fourth set 27-25.
 
Bellarmine Recap (NIU 2, Bellarmine 3)
 
A pair of attacking errors gave NIU a 3-1 lead early with McCartney recording an early kill for NIU. Bellarmine tied the set at four as a trio of Huskies recorded kills in a 7-4 run by the Knights. McCartney continued her offensive action from the morning's contest with a pair of kills as NIU fell behind 16-10. Bellarmine went on a 7-3 run to extend their lead to 10 at 23-13. Grevengoed, Alvin, and Steers all had kills as NIU fell 25-16 in the first set.
 
Alvin recorded the first kill of the second set for the Huskies answering a 3-0 start by the Knights. NIU would tie the game at six on a kill by McCartney and see a kill from Alexa Hayes (Magnolia, Tex./Magnolia West) as Bellarmine took a 10-7 lead over NIU. Going on a 8-6 run, NIU would bring the game within one at 16-15 on an attacking error by the Knights. McCartney and Grevengoed had the final four kills of the set for the Huskies as they fell 25-19.
 
McCartney accounted for three of the Huskies first four points in the third set as the Huskies offensive kept a three-point lead over Bellarmine for most of the early portion of the set. A McCartney kills gave NIU a 10-5 lead as NIU would build their lead to eight on a 6-2 run. The Huskies led by as many as nine in the third set before the Knights fought back to make it a two-point game. Grevengoed had a pair of kills with a Flynn ace in the final points as NIU took the third set.
 
Naomi Dowd (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsee Valley) got in on the scoring action, starting the fourth set off with a kill as NIU took a 3-0 lead early. The Knights tied the set four times with Grevengoed recording a pair of kills before an NIU timeout was called with the score at 10. The fourth set featured an additional four ties before a Schulze ace started a 6-3 run for the Huskies and evened the game at two sets each.
 
Heading into a fifth and final set, Alvin and Dowd marked the first kills for the Huskies as Bellarmine took a 4-2 lead early. Bellarmine kept the offensive pressure on the Huskies as they kept a two-point advantage to the media timeout. A 3-1 run by the Huskies forced a late timeout by the Knights as they trailed 10-9. The Knights went on a 5-0 run to end the match and snapped the Huskies five-game winning streak.
 
The Huskies conclude the IU Indianapolis Hampton Inn Invitational on September 13 as they take on tournament hosts IU Indy at 1 p.m. Fans can find live stats and watch links on the IU Indianapolis tournament central website.