NIU volleyball traveled to the University of Akron in hopes of winning their first Mid-American Conference road match of the season Friday night. The Huskies (10-9, 3-7 MAC) couldn’t maintain consistency against the Zips (10-11, 3-7 MAC), taking three steps back for every step forward.
Although NIU had moments of momentum, Akron’s experienced bench took advantage of the team’s youth. Falling to the Zips 2-3, this marks the Huskies’ fifth straight loss.
“Consistent execution and adapting faster (needs to happen),” head volleyball coach Sondra D’Amore said via text. “The youth of this team needs to learn quicker through matches. Not making the same mistakes twice will be key for us tomorrow.”
MELTDOWN
NIU fought to take the match to five sets, but Akron killed any chance of a comeback after going on a five-point run. D’Amore said that the Huskies need to stay focused in high-pressure situations.
“We have to play smarter in the fifth,” D’Amore said via text. “We often go away from our training when pressure is on. They know how to win, and we have to remember that.”
Sophomore outside hitter Ava Grevengoed notched her second consecutive double-double and her eighth of the season. She led the offense with 16 kills and made an impact on defense with 10 digs.
“I’ve been working a lot on my choppier shots,” Grevengoed said via text. “Not always going for a straight down kill, using my hands and seeing the court. My setters put me in great positions tonight to be able to do that. Being trusted by my teammates who are next to me on the court to get the ball up makes me want the ball all the time. I want to always get the ball up for them and make a play out of it.”
Sophomores outside hitter Emma McCartney and middle blocker Rylea Alvin each landed 9 kills against the Zips. McCartney reached a season-high 5 service aces, and Alvin remained consistent on defense with 4 block assists and 1 solo block.
Junior middle blocker Autumn Flynn and freshman outside hitter Naomi Dowd tied with 6 kills each. They also helped build NIU’s wall in Akron, with Flynn jumping 5 block assists and Dowd putting up 3.
ONLY GETTING SETTER
The Huskies’ setter duo, redshirt junior Kylie Schulze and sophomore Ella Strausberger, combined for 46 assists and 11 digs in Akron. This was Schulze’s seventh game with over 20 assists and Strausberger’s eighth.
Schulze contributed 23 assists and tied her season-high of 3 kills for the Huskies. She also added 4 digs. She said inconsistency gave the Zips chances to take over.
“I think overall we struggled to keep momentum,” Schulze said via text. “There were times in the match where we played really clean and low error volleyball, but unfortunately, other times when we let the other team get on long runs on us and made more errors.”
Freshman Delaney Steers topped her libero performance from the last game, earning a new season high with 29 digs, while also picking up 1 assist.
UP NEXT
The Huskies look to settle the score against the Zips at 3 p.m. Saturday in Akron, Ohio. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats provided on SIDEARM Sports.
