DeKALB – With its third-straight win, NIU volleyball left Eastern Michigan University rattled. The Huskies (9-2, 2-0 MAC) stayed consistent on both offense and defense, taking advantage of the Eagles’ (8-7, 0-2 MAC) lack of communication early in the match.
EMU started to fight back in the third set, but NIU didn’t let them lead by more than one point. With their second MAC win and best conference start since 2022, the Huskies swept the Eagles 3-0 to end their two-game homestand.
PUTTING ON A SHOW
The Huskies are currently undefeated in matches they take the first set, winning five games this way. This is also NIU’s third sweep of the season.
“I think (the team) did a great job coming out strong,” head volleyball coach Sondra D’Amore said. “That’s something we’ve talked about in the locker room, learning from yesterday. Obviously, we finished really well, but they came out strong. They were able to maintain momentum a little bit more throughout the entire match today.”
Junior middle blocker Autumn Flynn popped off on offense, leading the team with 9 kills. She also jumped 3 block assists, 1 assist and 1 service ace. As a player who puts up both offensive and defensive numbers consistently, she boils her mindset down to craving victory.
“I’m just a competitor,” Flynn said. “I want to win, so I feel like I put everything into every point, every block, every hit. It’s what keeps me going in the game.”
Redshirt junior Kylie Schulze made 19 assists for NIU and tallied 2 kills. Defensively, she made 7 digs. When looking for openings, Schulze monitors both her team and opponents closely.
“I’m really just being patient with the other side of the net,” Schulze said. “I’m watching the blockers. I’m seeing if it’s available, but at the same time, I’m looking for my hitters and seeing what we’ve got going on our side of the net. When the opportunity arises, I’m able to find it.”
SHARING THE WEALTH
Five Huskies recorded five or more kills against the Eagles, and eight of 10 players tacked on one kill.
“They did a good job of spreading the ball,” D’Amore said. “That makes it harder for teams to defend, and I think we did a good job of going back to things that are working. We talked about staying patient through the match, and forcing them into errors. There were glimpses where we needed to do that better, but then they really clicked on that at the end of the match. That’s why we ended up being able to sweep.”
Sophomore outside hitter Emma McCartney matched Flynn’s 9 kills. Senior right side Alexa Hayes and sophomore outside hitter Ava Grevengoed each logged 6 kills. Flynn credited her team for putting the spikers in successful scoring positions.
“Honestly, it’s our setters and our passers,” Flynn said. “I thought our passers were putting us on the net, and putting us in positions to set the middle and spread the offense so we had openings.”
Sophomore libero Jordyn Tynsky made 4 service aces for the second time this season and led the team with 13 digs. Grevengoed followed closely behind with 12 digs, while McCartney contributed nine.
Sophomore middle blocker Rylea Alvin also displayed strong defense, jumping two solo and two assisted blocks. Freshman outside hitter Naomi Dowd also added 2 block assists.
UP NEXT
NIU travels to Ball State University at 5 p.m. on Thursday in Muncie, Indiana. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats provided on SIDEARM Sports.
