EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.— Sweeping both of its opponents in Friday's action, the Northern Illinois University Huskies volleyball team (4-4) came away with a pair of victories at the SIUE Cougar Clash, defeating Chicago State (0-7) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-7).
The Huskies posted set scores of 25-9, 25-11, 25-17 over Chicago State. Against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, NIU posted set scores of 25-11, 25-18, 25-15 for their second victory of the day.
Katie Pahl (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) led the Huskie with 12 kills as she hit at .579 against Chicago State.
Autumn Flynn (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco) led NIU with four blocks while
Delaney Steers (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) led NIU with three service aces.
Flynn set a new career best attacking percentage against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, recording seven kills on eight attacks for a .875 percentage. Alvin had four solo blocks in the contest while
Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West), Steers, and Pahl accounted for nine of NIU's 13 aces.
Chicago State Recap (NIU 3, Chicago State 0)
NIU opened the first set with eight straight points, including three service aces from Steers. A trio of kills, including two from Flynn, put the Huskies ahead 14-3 before the Cougars answered with a point. Pahl and Grevengoed recorded the final two kills as NIU took the opening set 25-9.
Pahl recorded the first kill of the second set as NIU took an early 5-3 lead. Chicago State responded with five straight points after a Steers kill made it 6-3. Alvin ended the run with a kill before
Viktoria Djukic (Podgorica, Montenegro) recorded her third ace of the match to tie the set at 8-8. A 6-1 run gave NIU a 15-9 lead before the Cougars called timeout. Pahl followed with back-to-back points, recording a kill and a solo block to give the Huskies a nine-point advantage. Charlotte Garmzow (Royal Oak, Mich./Lutheran Northwest) added back-to-back aces late as NIU took the second set 25-11.
Pahl opened the third set with a kill before the Cougars took their largest lead of the match at 5-2. Grevengoed answered with back-to-back kills as the Huskies regained the lead. Chicago State pulled within one at 10-9 before
Naomi Dowd (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) sparked a 6-2 run. A kill by Steers gave NIU a six-point lead at 20-14 before Pahl secured the match with a kill.
Aiden Lightburn (Saint Lucie, Fla./Saint Lucie West Centennial) made her debut in the game, recording blank-blank
Arkansas-Pine Bluff Recap (NIU 3, Chicago State 0)
Picking up where she left off in the first match of the day, Pahl recorded two early kills and a pair of service aces to help NIU take an early lead. Grevengoed added the third ace of the set before Flynn recorded the fourth at 11-4. The Huskies continued to apply offensive pressure, extending their lead to 10 on a block by Pahl and Flynn. Pahl added her third ace of the set before Flynn closed out the opening frame with a solo block.
Grevengoed and Pahl recorded NIU's first kills of the second set as the two teams battled through a tightly contested frame. Neither team led by more than two points, with the set featuring eight ties before back-to-back kills from Flynn and Grevengoed gave the Huskies a 14-11 advantage. Arkansas-Pine Bluff pulled within one at 15-14, but a solo block by Flynn sparked the NIU offense. Schulze then recorded NIU's seventh ace of the match to help the Huskies secure the second-set victory.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff opened the third set with three consecutive kills before an Alvin block and a Grevengoed kill gave NIU its first lead at 4-3. The Huskies extended their advantage to 7-5 on a Steers kill, but the Golden Lions responded with four straight points. Arkansas-Pine Bluff held its final lead at 11-9 before back-to-back aces from Steers put NIU back in front, 12-11. The set was tied for the final time at 12-12 before Pahl sparked a 9-2 run to close out the match. Gramzow capped the sweep with NIU's 13th service ace of the match.
The Huskies conclude action at the SIUE Cougar Clash on September 12. First serve is set for 2 p.m. with the match airing live on ESPN+.
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