MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Northern Illinois University volleyball team battled through a five-set thriller to earn its first Horizon League victory of the season, defeating Milwaukee on Wednesday (Oct. 1). The Huskies (7-6, 1-2 Horizon) posted set scores of 15-25, 25-21, 25-23, 21-25, 15-12 over the Panthers (5-11, 0-4 Horizon).
The victory marked NIU's first win over Milwaukee since 2018 and its first five-set victory since the 1989 season. It was also the Huskies' first five-set win of the season.
"Definitely an exciting match … anytime you go five, every point matters," said NIU head coach
Sondra D'Amore. "They pushed us, especially early, but I thought we responded really well after a slow start. I was proud of the way we settled in and controlled the match in sets two through four. We showed a lot of fight and stayed together when it mattered."
Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West),
Kylie Schulze (Wonder Lake, Ill./Woodstock North),
Viktoria Djukic (Podgorica, Montenegro) and
Katie Pahl (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) all recorded double-doubles in the match, with Pahl and Djukic recording their first career double-doubles.
Pahl led all players with 18 kills and was one of several Huskies to record career marks.
Pahl recorded the first kill of the evening for the Huskies before back-to-back kills by
Autumn Flynn (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco) brought NIU within one at 6-5. A service ace by
Delaney Steers (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) tied the set at eight before a Grevengoed kill knotted the score at nine. The Panthers' offense continued to cause trouble for NIU as Steers and Grevengoed recorded kills amid a 7-2 Milwaukee run. Steers had the final two kills of the opening set as Milwaukee took the first set, 25-15.
Flipping the script in the second set,
Rylea Alvin (Randolph, Wis./Randolph) sparked a 4-0 run for NIU with her first kill of the night. Flynn and Grevengoed combined for the next seven kills for the Huskies, while a pair of attacking errors by the Panthers gave NIU a 10-point advantage. Milwaukee scored the next three points as it began trimming the Huskies' lead to seven at 17-10. The Panthers eventually cut the deficit to two before a kill by Alvin and a block by Alvin and Steers secured the second-set win for NIU.
NIU opened the third set on a 5-1 run, featuring a pair of kills by Pahl. A kill by Flynn put NIU up four at 7-3 before the Panthers rallied to tie the set at nine. Milwaukee took a brief 11-9 lead before the set was tied twice over the next several points. Flynn's kill at 13-12 sparked the NIU offense as the Huskies continued to hold off the Panthers' attempts to regain control. Milwaukee tied the set at 21 on a service ace before Pahl was involved in three straight points. Pahl recorded the final kill as the Huskies took a 2-1 set lead.
Pahl opened the fourth set with a kill before the Panthers took control early. After falling behind 10-6, Grevengoed recorded a kill that sparked a 4-0 run to tie the set at 10. An ace by Grevengoed put the Huskies up two moments later before Milwaukee retook the lead at 14-13. Three straight points by the Huskies were answered by the Panthers, who reached the seventh tie of the set at 18. Despite late kills by Grevengoed and Pahl, Milwaukee took the fourth set, 25-21, to even the match at 2-2.
It was a battle from the first serve of the fifth and final set, as neither team was able to gain more than a two-point advantage. Steers recorded a trio of kills late in the set as NIU took a 13-12 lead. Grevengoed, who recorded her 26th career double-double, gave the Huskies match point before a block by Dowd secured NIU's first Horizon League victory.
The Huskies are back on the court Thursday (Oct. 2) as they host Green Bay for their first Horizon League contest at Victor E. Court. First serve is set for 6 p.m. The match against Green Bay will be the Huskies' "Why We Play" game, honoring all those impacted by cancer and other illnesses.
To purchase tickets, please click
here or call the NIU Athletics Tickets Office at 815-753-PACK (7225).
Stay up-to-date with all things NIU Volleyball by following us on Twitter/X at
@NIUVolleyball, on Facebook at
NIU Volleyball, and on Instagram at
@NIUVolley.
