GREEN BAY, Wis.—Two Huskies recorded double-double performances as the Northern Illinois University volleyball team dropped a four-set battle to the Phoenix of Green Bay. The Huskies (7-11, 1-7 Horizon) posted set scores of 26-28, 25-22, 16-25, 20-25 against the Phoenix (13-6, 6-2 Horizon).
Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West) marked her fourth double-double in Horizon League play with 15 kills and 13 digs while
Viktoria Djukic (Podgorica, Montenegro) notched her second career double-double with 25 assists and 10 digs.
Charlotte Gramzow (Royal Oak, Mich./Lutheran Northwest) had a career night as she recorded 33 digs in the contest.
"I was really encouraged and proud of the team. We had a tough day yesterday and went with a different lineup tonight, but we should be encouraged by how we've handled the adversity we've faced," said
Sondra D'Amore, NIU head coach. "We're a team that fights back and puts ourselves in a position to win, but we have to get better at closing out those matches. We've pushed this group over the last couple of weeks, and they've grown and stepped up, which is what we needed tonight. Every time we play, we learn a little more. We showed we can compete with one of the top teams in the league, even with different players on the floor."
Grevengoed recorded NIU's first kill to tie the set at 3-3 before Green Bay used a 7-1 run to take control.
Katie Pahl (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) halted the run with a kill and added two more before Grevengoed recorded three kills to cut the deficit to 13-11. A service ace by
Charizma Lofton (Gainesville, Va./Gainesville) brought NIU within one, and Grevengoed's ace tied the set at 15-15. Pahl added two more kills as the teams traded points, and a kill by
Rylea Alvin (Randolph, Wis./Randolph) tied the set at 22-22. Lofton's second ace gave NIU the lead, and Grevengoed's kill put the Huskies at set point. Green Bay rallied to tie the score at 24-24 and went on to claim the opening set, 28-26.
Grevengoed recorded the Huskies' first kill of the second set before Djukic served a pair of aces to give NIU a 5-3 lead. Moments later, a Grevengoed kill sparked a 4-1 run as NIU extended its lead to 9-5. The Phoenix fought back to within one before tying the set at 12 on a service ace. Pahl put NIU back in front with a kill before another Phoenix service ace tied the set at 15. Grevengoed and Alvin teamed up for a block to give NIU a 17-15 lead as the Huskies maintained their advantage.
Autumn Flynn (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco) recorded the final three kills of the set as NIU won, 25-22.
As in the first two sets, Grevengoed recorded the first kill of the third set before the Phoenix went on a 7-1 run. Grevengoed added two more kills during a 5-3 NIU run, cutting the deficit to 10-7. A Flynn kill brought the Huskies within two at 13-11 before Green Bay scored three straight points to extend its lead to five. Alvin recorded NIU's final kill of the set as the Phoenix closed on a 9-4 run to win the third set, 25-16.
Lofton recorded NIU's first three kills of the fourth set as the Huskies took an early 4-2 lead. Flynn added a kill and a service ace as NIU extended its lead to 8-4. The Phoenix battled back to tie the set at 10 before taking the lead. Flynn recorded three kills near the midway point of the set before a Green Bay attacking error tied the score at 16. Grevengoed's kill gave NIU its final tie of the night at 17 before Green Bay closed on an 8-3 run to win the fourth set, 25-20.
The Huskies return to action on Oct. 23 as they travel to Youngstown State for a two-game series. First serve is set for 5 p.m. CT on Oct. 23 in Youngstown, Ohio.
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