The Huskies notched their second home win of the season Saturday with a victory against the Central Michigan University Chippewas in four sets (25-20, 25-22, 18-25, 25-17).

The volleyball team returned home for the weekend for action at Victor E. Court against the Eastern Michigan University Eagles and the Chippewas, going 1-1 on the weekend.

The Huskies (2-17, 1-3 Mid-American Conference) lost in five sets (20-25, 26-24, 20-25, 23-25, 8-15) to the Eagles Friday and defeated the Chippewas in four sets Saturday. The team’s win over Eastern Michigan marked their first conference win of the season.

Head Coach Ray Gooden was happy the team picked up their first MAC win of the season but was more impressed how they did it.

“It’s great to get the win,” Gooden said. “I think it’s also more important to understand how the group can overcome some things, and when they put it together, they can do some pretty positive stuff.”

 

Friday – Eastern Michigan

NIU commenced the weekend with a loss to Eastern Michigan. Freshman outside hitter Kaylee Martin record a team-high 18 kills for the match while senior setter Chandler Kinley paced the Huskies in assists with 45.

Eastern Michigan started the first set off strong and took a 12-7 lead. The Huskies remained in striking distance before the Eagles went on a 6-1 run to give themselves a 21-12 lead and won the set 25-20.

The Huskies led 14-12 and scored five of the next seven points to give them a 19-14 lead. The Huskies won the set 26-24 after a kill by junior outside hitter Autumn Martin. Junior middle blocker Meg Wolowicz led the Huskies with six kills in the second set.

Wolowicz said it was tough dealing with the tall front line of the Eagles.

“Their [front line is] pretty tall, and they were super aggressive, which we have faced in the past but I guess not in the same ways as them,” Wolowicz said. “I think we did a good job as the match went on, facing them and taking away some of their shots that they were really comfortable with.”

NIU led 20-19 in the third set. Freshman defensive specialist Miranda Karlen had a service error that began a 5-0 run for the Eagles. The Eagles eventually won the set 25-20.

Eastern Michigan started the fourth set with a 4-0 run, but the Huskies persevered and battled back to give themselves a 14-12 lead. NIU didn’t allow Eastern Michigan to take a lead for the rest of the match and won the set 25-23.

The Eagles jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the fifth set. The Huskies brought the deficit to within two points, but it wasn’t enough as Eastern Michigan won the set 15-8 and won the match.

Despite the loss, Wolowicz was encouraged by the way the team played.

“I think tonight was a really good night [that showed us] how much [we fight] and how much we need to continue to fight,” Wolowicz said. “I think it’s really good the more times we go into five sets [because] it proves we can be competing with the teams in the MAC. Ultimately, these nights are unfortunate but we really learn from them and hope that tomorrow is a new day and a better start.”

Saturday-Central Michigan

The Huskies continued conference play Saturday in their match against Central Michigan. The Huskies were led by 17 kills from Martin, 15 kills from Wolowicz and career-high 11 kills from freshman outside hitter Jori Radtke.

Radtke said she took advantage of her chances on the court and hopes it continues.

“I saw the line open a lot, and I saw a lot of hands up there that I was able to tool off of,” Radtke said. “I think it was basically just seeing that early and being able to swing fast.”

The Huskies took a 16-12 lead in the first set. The Chippewas battled and managed to bring the deficit down to one, but NIU won the set 25-20 on a kill from Radtke.

The Huskies jumped out to an early 6-1 lead in the second set and never surrendered the lead. The Chippewas tied the set four times, but the Huskies won it 25-22 following a service ace by senior defensive specialist Anna Brereton.

The Chippewas led the third set 14-13 and opened it up to 18-14 with a run. The Chippewas won the set 25-18 on three kills to end it.

The Huskies led 17-16 in a fourth set that included eight ties and 13 lead changes. Wolowicz had two blocks down the stretch, including a contributing block on the last play to give the Huskies the 25-17 win in the set.

“It helps for us to defend our home court, and we did a good job of that tonight,” Gooden said.

The Huskies will start their four-game road trip against the University of Toledo Rockets 6 p.m. Friday in Toledo, Ohio.