After its first straight-set loss to Ball State University on Thursday, NIU volleyball looked to shake it off against Miami (Ohio) University on Friday night. The Huskies (9-4, 2-2 MAC) appeared frustrated on both sides of the ball, and the RedHawks (9-7, 3- MAC) took control early.
The Huskies tried to push in the third set with three early points, but the RedHawks answered with a 10-point run. With waivered confidence, NIU was unable to respond and fell to Miami in a 0-3 sweep.
“Our youth showed tonight as we lost some confidence after our loss to Ball State,” head volleyball coach Sondra D’Amore said via text. “We couldn’t really get into a rhythm, and Miami had all of the momentum very early.”
SHUT DOWN
For the second consecutive game, NIU’s offense was swallowed whole by the opposition’s defense. The RedHawks made more blocks (10-4) and digs (55-47), leaving no room for the Huskies to attack effectively.
“(Miami) was smart with the ball,” D’Amore said via text. “(They) swung high, deep corners and reversed quite a bit. We struggled to stop the versatility.”
After recording no kills against Ball State, sophomore outside hitter Emma McCartney bounced back on offense in Oxford, Ohio. She landed 10 kills to lead the offense, and helped defensively with eight digs and one block assist.
“After the Ball State game, my mindset was to make each point count and really go for every ball with intensity,” McCartney said via text. “Today I was mentally preparing for the game, focusing on what I needed to do in order to put my team in better positions by either getting a kill or causing chaos.”
Sophomore outside hitter Ava Grevengoed also drove the offense with eight kills and one service ace. She also logged five digs for the defense.
Sophomore setter Ella Strausberger earned her second double-double of the season, recording 12 digs and 10 assists. Redshirt junior setter Kylie Schulze paralleled Strausberger’s ten digs and picked up one kill.
HEADING HOME
With their second consecutive loss, the Huskies are looking to snap this losing streak back in DeKalb. McCartney said the key to recovery is finding consistency.
“We hope to regroup as a team by working on our consistency, mentally and physically, on and off the court,” McCartney said via text. “We need to focus on being a team for each point. When we pour into one another while having fun, we play like ourselves and make other teams remember the name NIU.”
Junior middle blocker Autumn Flynn contributed six kills and one service ace. Defensively, sophomore libero Jordyn Tynsky helped with 11 digs. Freshman middle blocker Savannah Gogel made NIU’s lone solo block of the game and tacked on one assist.
UP NEXT
The Huskies return home for Tiki in the VEC night to face Western Michigan University at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Victor E. Court inside the Convocation Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats provided on SIDEARM Sports.
