Women's Volleyball | September 3

DeKALB, Ill. -- Opening the 2025 slate of their schedule, the Northern Illinois University Huskies Volleyball team (2-1) will host the NIU Invitational, September 5-6 in the NIU Convocation Center. The Huskies will take on Merrimack College (1-1) at 11 a.m. on September 5 before facing off against Indiana State (1-2) at 6 p.m. that evening. The Huskies conclude their home tournament, taking on SIUE (0-3) at 6 p.m. on September 6.
 
The full NIU Invitational Schedule can be found below:
Sept 5 | 11 a.m. | NIU vs Merrimack
Sept 5 | 2:30 p.m. | SIUE vs Indiana State
Sept 5 | 6 p.m. | NIU vs Indiana State
Sept 6 | 11 a.m. | Merrimack vs SIUE
Sept 6 | 2:30 p.m. | Indiana State vs Merrimack
Sept 6 | 6 p.m. | NIU vs SIUE
 
All NIU games will air live on ESPN+ with Matt Rodewald and Sam Grams, NIU '12, on the call.
 
New and returning fans can purchase general admission, family 4-pack, or courtside seats to watch the Huskies this fall with general admission tickets starting at just $35. The Family 4-Pack is available for $90 ($22.50 each). Courtside seats are priced at $180 for the season. To purchase tickets online, please click here.
 
Previewing The Weekend  
 
The Huskies and Warriors of Merrimack will meet for the first time in each program's history. Morgan Thurlow and Mckenna Shotwell lead the Warriors offense, combining for 28 kills in their opening weekend. Behind the service line, Ella Maldonado leads the team with four service aces in the opening weekend of play while also leading the team with 17 digs.
 
NIU and the Sycamores of Indiana State will meet for the 14th time in program history. The Huskies won the meeting, 3-1, which took place in 2005. NIU holds the series record 10-3 over Indiana State. The Sycamores are led by Kira Holland who tallied 40 kills (3.64 per set) in their opening weekend. Ava Roberts led the team from behind the service line with 5 aces in the opening weekend while Hadley Hardersen had 26 digs.
 
The Huskies and Cougars of SIUE will meet for the third time in program history and the first since 2019. Each team has won once in the series with SIUE taking the last meeting in four sets. Sophie Robinson leads the Cougars with 36 kills in their opening weekend of play. Grace Nichols has three service aces while Olivia Hogan leads the team with 44 digs.
 
Opening Weekend Recap
 
With 14 sets played in the opening weekend, the Huskies mirror the start of the 2012 season with a pair of five-set matches followed by a four-set match.
 
The Huskies claimed a five-set victory over Lamar in the season opener before defeating Southern Miss in four sets at the Stetson Hatters Invitational. The Huskies lone loss of the weekend was a five-set battle against Stetson.
 
Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West) was named the Stetson Hatters Invitational MVP as the Huskies were the invitational champions. Grevengoed tallied a total of 58 kills, hitting percentage of .245, three aces, and 37 digs over the tournament.

Jordyn Tynsky (Denton, Tex./Denton-Guyer) and Rylea Alvin (Randolph, Wis./Randolph) were named to the All-Tournament team, joining Grevengoed in representing the Huskies. Alvin had 14 total blocks and 25 kills over the tournament while Tynsky claimed 65 digs and six service aces for NIU.
 
Need more Huskies Volleyball? Follow us on Twitter/X at @NIUVolleyball, on Facebook at NIU Volleyball, and on Instagram at @NIUVolley.