Women's Volleyball | September 3

DeKALB, Ill.— After starting the season on the road, the Northern Illinois University Huskies volleyball team (1-2) is home on September 4 and 5 for the NIU Invitational. All games will take place inside the NIU Convocation Center.
 
NIU will take on Murray State (0-3) at 11 a.m. and Portland State (1-2) at 6 p.m. on September 4. The Huskies will wrap up action at their home invitational with Lindenwood (2-1) on September 5 at 6 p.m.
 
Friday (September 4) will be the camper reunion for the Huskie volleyball program. Any camper that attended NIU Volleyball camps over the summer will receive free admission if they wear their camp t-shirt to the game.
 
New and returning fans can purchase general admission, family 4-pack, or courtside seats to watch the Huskies this fall with general admission tickets starting at just $35. The Family 4-Pack is available for $90 ($22.50 each). Courtside seats are priced at $120 for the season. To purchase tickets online, please click here.
 
All NIU games will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Andy Garcia and Stephanie Zobac will have the call on Friday while Matt Rodewald and Brea Lassek bring you all the action on Saturday. Please note, only games that feature NIU will be on ESPN+.
 
Tournament Outlook
 
Since the 2016 season, the Huskies have won their home tournaments five times, including three times in the last five years.
 
Against Murray State, the Huskies are 2-0 after the first meeting in 1992. The Huskies have never dropped a set to the Racers as both victories are three-set sweeps. NIU defeated Murray State on August 28 in Evansville, Indiana in three sets (25-21,25-22, 25-16) at the USI Invitational. Katie Pahl (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) and Rylea Alvin (Randolph, Wis./Randolph) led the Huskies with a combined 22 kills as Kylie Schulze (Wonder Lake, Ill./Woodstock North) had 23 assists.
 
It will be the second meeting for the Huskies and Vikings of Portland State, but the first on a home court. The teams previously met in 2012 with Portland State taking a three-set victory in Stockton, California.
 
The Huskies will meet the Lions for the first time in program history as the Lions come from the Ohio Valley Conference.
 
NIU Invitational Schedule (Home team listed first)
 
Friday, September 4
11:00 a.m. | NIU vs Murray State
2:30 p.m. | Lindenwood vs Portland State
6:00 p.m. | NIU vs Portland State
 
Saturday, September 5
11:00 a.m. | Murray State with Lindenwood
2:30 p.m. | Portland State vs Murray State
6:00 p.m. | NIU vs Lindenwood

Last Time on the Court
 
The Huskies went 1-2 in their opening weekend, dropping matches to Eastern Michigan and Southern Indiana.
 
Alvin was named to the USI All-Tournament team after recording 31 kills, attacking percentage of .435, and 10 blocks for NIU.
 
Pahl made her debut in a Huskie uniform, recording 31 kills, 7 aces (team high), and 18 digs, alongside Charlotte Gramzow (Royal Oak, Mich./Lutheran Northwest), who recorded 32 digs (2.91 per set).
 
Schulze captured her seventh career double-double against Eastern Michigan on August 28 with 48 assists and 12 digs.
 
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