Women's Volleyball | August 27

DeKALB, Ill.— Kicking off the 2026 season, the Northern Illinois University Huskies volleyball team will compete at the University of Southern Indiana Invitational, Aug. 28-29.
 
The Huskies will open the tournament against Eastern Michigan at 10 a.m. CT on Aug. 28, followed by a 4:30 p.m. matchup against Murray State. NIU will wrap up the weekend against tournament hosts Southern Indiana at 2 p.m. on Aug. 29.
 
"This group has worked hard to define who we want to be and how we want to compete," said NIU head coach Sondra D'Amore. "Now the challenge is to live it every day. Built for the Storm means embracing the hard moments, staying connected, and competing for each other no matter what comes our way. We're excited to put that into action and see where it takes us."
 
The season opener features former conference foe, Eastern Michigan, where NIU holds a series record of 39-30. The Huskies won last year's meeting in DeKalb, a 3-0 sweep that saw Autumn Flynn (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco) and Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West) combine for 15 kills.
 
The Huskies' second match of the weekend will come against Murray State. NIU won the previous and only meeting between the programs, earning a 3-0 victory in 1992. The Huskies and Racers will meet again the following weekend when Murray State competes in the NIU Invitational, Sept. 4-5.
 
NIU wraps up the opening weekend of play against the Screaming Eagles in just the second meeting between the programs. The Huskies won the first meeting in 2022, a 3-0 win in DeKalb.
 
Two of the Huskies' top three kill leaders from last season return in Grevengoed, who recorded 300 kills, and Flynn, who tallied 203. Kylie Schulze (Wonder Lake, Ill./Woodstock North) returns as a setter, starting 22 games and recorded 511 assists in 2025.
 
The 2026 season will mark the first season in the Horizon League for NIU as the Huskies became the 12th member school on July 1. In the preseason poll, released on August 25, the Huskies were picked to finish seventh. Conference play starts for the Huskies on September 25 as they travel to Wright State.
 
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