Four matches into her first season leading NIU volleyball, first-year head coach Sondra Parys has reached the first major milestone in her young coaching career: her first win.
The Huskies outlasted the University of North Carolina Wilmington Seahawks in five-sets Saturday, winning the first and final two sets.
With Friday’s win, Parys takes home her first victory as an NCAA Division I head coach.
“It feels incredible,” Parys said. “The team ran over at the end, and they all gave me a group hug. It was really emotional just to see how really excited they were for me.”
Reflecting on her milestone achievement, Parys wasted little time in deferring the credit to her squad.
“It’s not about me, it’s about them,” Parys said. “I do this because I love what I do, and I really do love them (the players). It was a complete effort and their support, honestly, goes a really long way.”
“A COMPLETE EFFORT”
Junior outside hitter Nikolette Nedic led the charge for NIU’s offense. Nedic logged a match-best 17 kills on the day, including NIU’s final four kills to win the match.
“Overall, I think I did really well,” Nedic said. “It was kind of slow at the beginning of the game but we picked it up. We should have been playing like we did at the end throughout the whole game.”
Nedic’s offensive efforts were supported by junior middle blocker Charli Atiemo, who killed 12 balls and registered four total blocks – three solo blocks and one block assist.
Junior libero Crew Hoffmeier recorded a team-best 36 digs in the match. Senior setter Ella Mihacevich tallied most of NIU’s total assists, contributing 42 of the team’s 58 assists.
RUNS, RUNS, RUNS
Friday’s matchup featured 23 unanswered runs of three or more points between both sides of the net. The longest run of the day, a 9-0 unanswered scoring streak by the Seahawks, played a pivotal role in deciding the third set that resulted in a 25-16 UNCW victory.
A RETURN BACK HOME AND A RETURN TO ACTION
Senior opposite/outside hitter Emily Dykes returned to action after sitting out NIU’s first three matches. Dykes made her 2023 debut in her home state of North Carolina, where she played high school volleyball at Ayden-Grifton High School in Winterville.
Dykes ended the match with three kills and three solo blocks – the latter statistics tying with Atiemo for the team lead.
GOING THE DISTANCE
The opening two sets of Friday’s matchup were closely contested, ending with final scores of 25-23 (NIU) and 25-22 (UNCW).
After an abysmal third set that saw NIU surrender nine unanswered points early, the Huskies engineered a turnaround that produced team hitting performances of .371 and .308 in the fourth and fifth sets, respectively.
“We went to the six-two and I think that just gave them a different look from an offensive standpoint,” Parys said. “The hitters went out swinging, they went out swinging hard and that just completely shifted the momentum of the match.”
Leading 12-11 in the fifth set and NIU’s first win within reach, Nedic delivered a trio of consecutive kills – ending with the knockout blow to vanquish the Seahawks.
LITTLE TIME TO REST
The Huskies have a quick turnaround, facing back-to-back matches Saturday for the final day of the Wildcat Classic. Saturday competition begins with an 11 a.m. matchup against tournament host Davidson College followed by a match against Queens University of Charlotte at 2:30 p.m. CT.
“Coming in and winning this first game kind of set the tone for the weekend,” Nedic said. “And we’re super excited for tomorrow’s (Saturday’s) back-to-back matches. Hoping to leave 3-0 and come back undefeated this weekend.”
NIU’s first Saturday match will be streamed on ESPN+ while live statistics for both matches will be presented by SIDEARM Sports.
