DeKALB, Ill.—Recording their second-best hitting percentage of the season, the Northern Illinois University Huskies volleyball team swept the Robert Morris University Colonials this afternoon. The Huskies (8-14, 2-10 Horizon) posted set scores of 25-23, 25-16, 27-25 against the Colonials (5-18, 3-9 Horizon) as they split the regular season series.
Viktoria Djukic (Podgorica, Montenegro) claimed her fourth consecutive double-double, setting a new career-best in assists (37) and leading NIU with 11 digs in the contest.
"I'm incredibly proud of this group and the way they responded today," said
Sondra D'Amore, NIU head coach. "We've faced a lot of adversity, and today was a testament to their resilience and willingness to keep fighting. This team has continued to show up and put in the work, even when the results haven't gone our way. They deserved this one, and I couldn't be happier for them."
Autumn Flynn (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco) lead all players with 13 kills this afternoon while
Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West) and
Katie Pahl (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) added 11 kills apiece for NIU.
Kiana Shields (West Chicago, Ill./Wheaton Academy) grabbed the first two kills of the afternoon for the Huskies before a pair of aces by
Kylie Schulze (Wonder Lake, Ill./Woodstock North) gave NIU a 5-4 advantage. Robert Morris went on a 6-2 run before extending its lead to four at 13-9. A Pahl kill ended the run before NIU responded with an 8-2 run to take the lead late at 18-16. Pahl had two of NIU's final three kills as the Huskies took the opening set, 25-23.
Rylea Alvin (Randolph, Wis./Randolph) started NIU with a kill in the second set as the Huskies scored five straight points to open action. Alvin continued to be a force for NIU as her kill at 9-5 sparked an eight-point run as the Huskies took a 16-5 lead. The Huskies' offense continued to click as they hit .341 in the set, with Grevengoed claiming the final three kills for NIU in a 25-16 win.
Robert Morris took a 6-2 lead to start the third set before Pahl and Flynn combined for three straight kills to tie the set at 6. The Colonials regained a three-point lead before Alvin started a 4-1 run at 13-11 to tie the set at 14. The third set featured three lead changes before NIU took a 21-20 lead on a Djukic kill. Grevengoed added two more kills to her total for the afternoon as the Huskies reached match point on a service error by the Colonials. Robert Morris tied the score twice more before a Flynn kill and an attacking error by the Colonials gave NIU a 27-25 win.
NIU has their final road trip of the regular season next week as they travel to IU Indy on Nov. 6 followed by a trip to Purdue Fort Wayne on Nov. 7. First serve is set for 5 p.m. CT on Nov. 6 against IU Indy.
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.
