After an eight-game road trip, the volleyball team returned to Victor E. Court and won their first match of the season Tuesday against the Illinois State University Redbirds.

Following a career-high 25 kills from freshman outside hitter Kaylee Martin, the Huskies (1-11, 0-0 Mid-American Conference) won the match 3-1 to end their 11-game losing streak. This was their first home victory since defeating the Miami University Redbirds 3-0 in the MAC Championship Nov. 26, 2016.

“[Martin] was fantastic,” sophomore middle blocker Brinley Milbrath said. “She was getting after it [and] it was beautiful to see.”

NIU got off to competitive starts in every set and ultimately claimed a victory in three out of the four sets after losing the second (25-19, 22-25, 25-23, 33-31).

“In a night where I think both teams are desperate to be in a positive spot going into the last weekend [of non-conference play], I think both teams played that way the first couple sets,” Head Coach Ray Gooden said. “Both teams were just battling, and that was cool. I thought that our team did its best job of handling situations this entire year. So credit to our group and credit to what we were able to accomplish tonight.”

In addition to Martin’s career night, the Huskies were led by senior setter Chandler Kinley, who recorded a team-high 44 assists and 12 digs for a double-double.

The Huskies started the first set off well and found themselves up 12-9 thanks to a 4-0 run before an Illinois State timeout. The Huskies and Redbirds went on to have a competitive back-and forth, which included scoring runs by each team, but another 4-0 run by the Huskies gave them the separation they needed to win the set 25-19.

The second set featured another back-and-forth start by the two teams. But, this time it was the Redbirds that created the initial separation, thanks to a 5-0 run that put them up 15-9. The two teams continued to score evenly until the Huskies went on their own 5-0 run to close their deficit to one point. It wasn’t enough though and Illinois State won the set 25-22.

Illinois State took control of the third set early on, but it wouldn’t last long as NIU would go on a 8-1 run to take a decisive 16-10 lead. The Redbirds battled back and brought the game to within two points thanks to their own 3-0 run, but it would be to no avail as an attack error by Illinois State freshman middle blocker Sydney Holt would award the Huskies with the win in the third set 25-23 and put them up 2-1 in the match.

Martin had six kills and junior middle blocker Meg Wolowicz recorded five kills for the Huskies. Gooden is seeing the growth in Martin’s game and believes it will help the team.

“I think there are some things that are starting to settle in [and] I think she’s starting to find some rhythm,” Gooden said. “I think that helps a lot in what we’re trying to do, and her game is a little more complete because they’re serving her, and she’s seeing the ball a little bit better, so I think she’s starting to understand this level a little bit more.”

The Redbirds took another firm lead in the fourth set, jumping out to a 10-4 lead, and were determined to make the match go five sets. The Huskies battled back though and cut Illinois State’s lead to one point before the Redbirds went on a 4-0 run to give themselves a 19-14 lead. The Huskies refused to go down without a fight and went on a 5-0 run to take a 22-21 lead. The two teams continued their back-and-forth until the game was tied at 31 points and two attack errors by Lexi Varga, Redbirds junior outside hitter, gave the Huskies a 33-31 win for the set and the 3-1 match victory.

After a career night from Martin, she said her game is starting to come to her more than earlier in the season.

“I didn’t know that,” Martin said. “I felt like I had a lot [of kills] but also I was put in a lot of good positioned. I’m getting more confident and sometimes I’m just feeling it.”

The Huskies will look to continue their winning ways and conclude non-conference play during the Buckeye Invitational. They’ll begin the tournament 9 a.m. Friday in Columbus, Ohio by facing University of Dayton Flyers. They will face the Ohio State University Buckeyes 6:30 p.m. Friday before concluding the tournament noon Saturday against the Western Kentucky University Toppers.