NIU volleyball (2-6) claimed its second win of the season Saturday over the Stony Brook University Seawolves (7-2) in four sets.
COMPLETE PERFORMANCE
The Huskies pitched their best performance of the season thus far against Stony Brook, a team that had only lost once coming into the game and were fresh off of back-to-back sweeps.
NIU volleyball head coach Sondra D’Amore praised her team’s performance and how it exemplifies their potential going forward.
“It shows our potential more than anything,” D’Amore said. “Which is a great way to end the weekend and go into Northwestern and MAC play. We all feel proud of today’s performance.”
The first set of the match was NIU’s most efficient, setting the tone by hitting at a .316 rate and posting 17 kills in a 25-21 win.
The Huskies got caught in the second set as they dropped a close one 25-22.
The team bounced back in the third set. The Huskies gave their most impressive performance on the scoreboard as they won the set 25-14 and led the frame the whole way after going up 5-4 early.
In the fourth set, the Huskies shut the door on the Seawolves, winning the set 25-20 and never losing the lead throughout the set.
The team scored 49 kills on an attack rate of .207, compared to Stony Brook’s percentage of .137. This is the third time this season NIU has hit above .200 and the second time that it has contributed to a win.
NIU played a clean game, posting only 18 errors which is good for a season low.
“The details in how we play matter,” D’Amore said, “I saw a much more composed and consistent team today.”
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
Senior libero Crew Hoffmeier was a standout in this game. She posted a game-leading 28 digs to go with 5 assists and 1 service ace.
Junior outside hitter Nazli Güvener led the team in kills with 12 and contributed 4 digs and 3 block assists in the matchup.
Freshman middle blocker Rylea Alvin also contributed on both sides of the ball. She posted 4 kills and led the team in block assists with 5.
Freshman outside hitter Ava Grevengoed posted a near double-double as she contributed 9 kills and 14 digs. She also chipped in defensively as she notched 2 block assists.
UP NEXT
NIU finishes its road stretch at 7 p.m Wednesday in Evanston against Northwestern University. Live stats can be found on SIDEARM Sports.
“How we approached today is something we need to carry into practice this week,” D’Amore said. “We will be pushing that standard throughout the week so our performance on match day is clean and consistent.”
