Coming off a straight set victory over reigning Mid-American Conference champions Western Michigan University, the NIU volleyball team looked to keep the good vibes going at Bowling Green State University Thursday night. The Huskies (10-5, 3-3 MAC) started strong offensively, taking the first set over the Falcons (11-7, 5-1 MAC), but the momentum started and ended there.
NIU couldn’t recover when BGSU went on the attack with 39 kills and nine service aces propelling the Falcons through the last three sets. The Huskies couldn’t battle back, and lost 1-3 to BGSU.
“We executed the game plan really well (in) set one, and had a lot of confidence going to set two,” head volleyball coach Sondra D’Amore said via text. “Some tough serves led to a passing breakdown early in the second set, which just gave the Falcons a lot of momentum and confidence.”
NO RESPONSE
After winning the first set, the Huskies seemingly lost control of their offensive abilities. The Falcons held a 13-point lead during the second set, a 9-point lead in the third and a 15-point lead in the fourth.
“We had a hard time bouncing back with executing our first contact,” D’Amore said via text. “it made it really hard to build any momentum back.”
Junior middle blocker Autumn Flynn helped keep the offense alive, landing 7 kills. On defense, she added 1 block assist and 1 dig. After fighting to find ways to get through BGSU’s blockers, she hopes to maintain her offensive power while boosting her defensive play.
“My setters were able to put me in good positions to hit around Bowling Green’s block,” Flynn said via text. “I will continue to fight for points out of the middle, but also up my blocking game tomorrow.”
Sophomore outside hitters Ava Grevengoed and Emma McCartney tried to get the Huskies back into it offensively, scoring 10 and 8 kills, respectively. Grevengoed notched 2 service aces, and the pair logged 6 digs each.
BLOCKED AND GOT BLOCKED
NIU’s defense put up a solid effort, but BGSU matched and surpassed that effort. The Huskies jumped 12 total block assists, while the Falcons put up 18 block assists and 1 solo block.
Sophomore middle blocker Rylea Alvin remains a bright spot for NIU’s blocking, leading the team with 5 block assists, while also nailing 2 kills. Alvin takes pride in her defensive production, and intends to keep putting up a wall.
“I have put a lot of work into my blocking in the offseason and this preseason,” Alvin said via text. “It’s something I dialed in on. I feel I move and see things a lot better now. I just want to make an impact where I can for this team, and right now, it is my blocking. Tomorrow, (I’m) going into the game with the same mentality of ‘see ball, get ball,’ and (I’ll) just continue to be aggressive at the net and set a tone early.”
Grevengoed, freshman outside hitter Naomi Dowd and senior right side Alexa Hayes each contributed 2 block assists. Nine of the 13 Huskies who saw the court tacked on at least one dig, totaling 30 on the day.
UP NEXT
The Huskies look to even the score against the Falcons at 5 p.m. Friday in Bowling Green, Ohio. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats provided on SIDEARM Sports.
