Tearing a page out of Dorothy’s notebook, the NIU volleyball team utilized the “there’s no place like home,” theme in defeating the Western Illinois Westerwinds Saturday at Chick Evans Field House.

NIU thanked its fans for their support throughout the 1991 season by posting a 15-7, 15-6, 15-11 triumph over the visiting Westerwinds, capping the Huskies’ home season.

The victory not only gave NIU a 20-6 overall ledger (4-2 in the North Star Conference), but it also bettered NIU’s home mark to 11-3. Western dropped to 11-11.

The Huskies took total command in all three games, with the best performance coming in game two. The squad had 14 kills in 26 attempts against four errors for a .385 hitting accuracy. For the entire match, NIU registered 40 kills in 104 attempts with 16 errors giving NIU a .231 kill percentage. The Westerwinds had 29 kills in 103 attempts against 25 errors for a .039 attack clip.

“Without looking at the stats, this was just a great match as far as intensity level,” Huskie coach Pete Waite said. “We came in and beat WIU. This was a nice way to finish our home schedule.

“I am happy with the number of fans we have had come support us this season. The fans have been dedicated, and this year we had the best support ever.”

Pacing the way for NIU was 6-0 middle blocker Amy Foulke. The sophomore raked up 17 kills in 25 attempts minus one error for a .640 hitting accuracy. In addition, Foulke added two of the squad’s six blocks.

Freshman Danielle Gerenz came off the bench and put forth an impressive night at the net with eight kills, no errors and 15 attempts, giving her a .400 attack percentage.

Nikki Kozak’s seven digs gives her a season best 326—also the No. 1 billing in single-season digs.

“When people have statistics like that, everyone is working hard to initiate plays,” Waite said.

The Huskies conclude regular-season action this weekend when they compete in the Wichita State University Tournament. First-round opponent for NIU is Tulsa.