DeKALB, Ill.—Closing out the non-conference slate with a win, the Northern Illinois University Huskies Volleyball team (6-4) swept the UIC Flames (4-7) in straight sets this evening (Sept. 18). The Huskies posted set scores of 25-23, 25-22, and 25-16 as they won their fourth straight match.
Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West) led all players with 13 kills in the match, hitting at a .333 clip.
Delaney Steers (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) recorded a career-best eight kills in the match.
"I thought they played very confident, which they should after the weekend we had at SIUE," said
Sondra D'Amore, NIU Head Coach. "We trained hard in the gym, we prepared them well and they stuck to the game plan. They were fearless out there and that's a really good team they just swept. I think we did a good job of putting pressure on them to put them in situations to make mistakes. We served really well and did enough from the service line to cause them problems."
It was a battle from the first point as the Huskies and Flames traded points, with
Katie Pahl (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) recording the first two kills for NIU.
Autumn Flynn (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco) added a kill to start three unanswered points by the Huskies. UIC answered, tying the game at eight before taking the lead on a service ace. Grevengoed recorded four of her 13 kills as the Huskies built a 14-12 lead. UIC responded by taking a 19-17 lead before Pahl sparked a 3-0 run to put NIU back in front. The first set was tied three more times before NIU took the opening set, 25-23.
Pahl, Grevengoed and Flynn recorded the first four kills of the second set as NIU and UIC continued to trade points. A kill by
Kiana Shields (West Chicago, Ill./Wheaton Academy) sparked a 10-3 run as NIU took a 14-8 lead on a Pahl kill. UIC battled back, getting within three at 21-18 on a block by Robyn Ward. Flynn answered with a kill as the Huskies took the second set, 25-22.
The Huskies and Flames continued their back-and-forth battle into the third set, with neither team taking more than a two-point lead. Steers recorded a kill to spark a 7-2 run by NIU and give the Huskies a 12-8 lead. The Flames battled back, getting within two at 14-12 before a series of attacking errors went in NIU's favor. Steers recorded a kill to give NIU a 20-13 lead before adding the final kill of the match as the Huskies swept UIC with a 25-16 third-set victory.
"I think that going into Horizon League and Wright State, you are going to see a team very similar to that and it should give them confidence. This is a great win but they've got to come back and be ready to get better," note D'Amore.
The Huskies begin their first season in the Horizon League on September 25-26 as they travel to Wright State. First serve is set for 5 p.m. CT in Dayton, Ohio with the match airing live on ESPN+.
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