Two weeks of intense practice halfway paid off as the NIU volleyball team posted a split in its dual road games over the weekend.

The Huskies defeated Bowling Green State 17-19, 15-10, 15-10, 15-7, and lost 15-9, 15-9, 15-4 to Michigan State. NIU coach Pete Waite said overall he was “pleased with the split,” which raised the Huskies’ record to 8-6.

The lengthy first match ignited an NIU victory over 6-9 Bowling Green.

“It was a battle that got the blood going on both sides of the net,” Waite said. “The first game, being that close, got them (NIU) on track.”

But this was the only game in which BGSU even contended with NIU. The Huskies jumped to an 8-0 lead in the third contest, and Waite said the fourth was “not even a close game.”

NIU senior co-captain Cathy Holmes led the squad to an impressive .275 hitting percentage. The middle blocker connected on 14 of her 24 kills with two errors for 50 percent accuracy. Holmes also paced the team in blocks with six block assists and four solo blocks.

Sophomore Julie Kreiling was the powerhouse in numbers, leading the Huskies in kills with 18. Senior setter Beth Glisk and junior middle blocker Jamie Steenblock chipped in 13 kills each for NIU. Steenblock topped the squad with 21 digs, while Kreiling trailed with 20.

The voyage to Michigan seemed to drain the Huskies of their skills as well as their spunk.

“We came out very flat,” Waite said. “We had some passing problems that kept us out of our offense. We had problems on the court we haven’t had all season, like balls dropping down between (our) players and a breakdown in communication. We just weren’t crisp on the court.”

Holmes dominated the spiking stats, killing 13 of her 29 attempts for a .345 accuracy. Kreiling was next in line with seven kills, but she also had a matching seven errors which dropped her hitting percentage to .000.

Holmes again led the team at the net with five block assists and three solo blocks. Steenblock and Glisk added four block assists apiece, while Steenblock had two solo blocks and Glisk had one.

Kreiling led the team in digs with 12, while Glisk tallied 10.

“Overall it was a good team effort,” Waite said. “They’re trying hard, but things just don’t always work out.”