Notre Dame’s volleyball squad defended its North Star Conference title Sunday, defeating NIU in the finals of the NSC Tournament 15-7, 10-15, 15-8, 15-6 at DePaul’s Alumni Gym.

The Huskies finished second in the tournament with their only weekend loss coming to the Fighting Irish. NIU defeated Valparaiso in the semifinals 15-9, 15-5, 15-5 earlier in the day. During play on Saturday, the Huskies beat Dayton 15-13, 15-6, 16-14 and DePaul 15-5, 15-4, 15-6.

Dayton finished in third place by defeating Valparaiso in the consolation game.

Although the Huskies lost to Notre Dame, NIU coach Herb Summers was not dissatisfied with his squad’s play.

“I thought we took our best shot at them,” Summers said. “If there was anything we could have done to win, we would have done it.”

The crucial phase of the game was NIU’s hitting. The Huskies had a poor .064 hitting percentage. During the first and fourth games of the match, NIU hit a zero of percentage. NIU’s hitting in the second game was the determining factor in its only win against the Fighting Irish. The Huskies hit a .244 kill percentage compared to Notre Dame’s .220 clip in that contest.

“Notre Dame just out-hit us,” Summers said. “They out-athleted us. When we would get close to them, their top athletes would take charge.”

Notre Dame’s Bennett led all hitters with a .454 attack percentage. She had 23 kills out of 44 attempts and three errors.

The leading hitter for NIU was Jamie Steenblock. She gathered 15 kills in 30 attempts with seven errors for a .267 hitting percentage. Steenblock also tallied two aces, six digs and three block assists. Alice McAvoy was second in kill percentage with a .222 clip.

Summers said he was pleased with his team’s play during the entire tournament. He said he really could not pick out any one player who stood above the rest, because each contributed. For example, four NIU players had hitting percentages above .290 in the match against Valparaiso, including Anita Kesteris’ .556 clip.

“Who can’t you single out,” Summers said. “I thought Holmes showed big strides as a leader on the court. Anne Polaski did a real nice job, coming out of her slump she had for the past three weeks.

“All-in-all, we had a good tournament. We played well from beginning to end and played consistently.”

This will be the last year Notre Dame can win the tournament, because it will no longer be a part of the NSC conference. Both Notre Dame and Dayton are leaving the competition. Akron, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Cleveland State and Illinois-Chicago will take their place.

Two NIU players won spots on the All-Conference First Team, and two claimed positions on the second team. Making up the first team were Beth Glisk (NIU), Cathy Holmes (NIU), Zanette Bennett (Notre Dame), Maureen Shey (Notre Dame), Mary Kay Waller (Notre Dame), Jennifer Duncan (Valparaiso). Bennett was named conference Most Valuable Player. Dayton’s Julie Biermann was named Coach of the Year.

The All-Conference Second Team included Jackie Hoyng (Dayton), Michelle Barrett (DePaul), Mary Catherine Kane (Marquette), Anne Polaski (NIU), Jamie Steenblock (NIU), and Kathy Baker (Notre Dame).