DeKALB — NIU Athletic’s opening week was highlighted by the football team’s victory over Illinois State University. The cross country team dominated on the road, and volleyball won two of three matches as hosts of the NIU Invitational.

Football

Thomas Hammock earned his first career win as a head coach in NIU’s season opener.

Fans left Huskie Stadium happy Saturday after a nail biting win over Illinois State. Though the 24-10 score may not reflect it, it was a tightly contested game throughout. 

Senior quarterback Ross Bowers finished with 299 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Redshirt junior running back Tre Harbison rushed for 99 rushing yards, averaging 4.3 yards per carry.

Cross Country

Cross country dominated the Western Illinois University Early Bird Invite last Friday. NIU earned first place at the invite and junior Ashley Tutt captured the individual title.

Volleyball

The volleyball team hosted the NIU Invitational and finished 2-1. They took down Fairleigh Dickinson University and Universit of California – Riverside but couldn’t overcome Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville.

Junior middle blocker Kennedy Wallace was a key contributor in the final match against Riverside, stacking a personal-high of 21 kills. Her previous high was 11.

Men’s Soccer

The men’s soccer team was shutout in their loss to Loyola University – Chicago Ramblers.

The Huskies doubled the Ramblers in shots on goal and nearly tripled them in overall shots. However, the Huskies couldn’t capitalize on their chances and allowed a game winning goal from senior midfielder Aidan Megally at the 76th minute.

Women’s Soccer

The women’s soccer team drew with University of Louisiana – Lafayette in a game featuring plenty of offense. 

Five goals were scored in a hectic final 21 minutes of the 4-4 match. Sophomore midfielder Trudy Quidzinski led the Huskies with a hat trick, making her the eighth Huskie in school history to do so.