One of the advantages of the NIU volleyball lineup is that offense can come from anywhere on the court.

However, that theory only looked good on paper until the Huskies put it into effect at the Butler Invitational this past weekend.

NIU took second in the invitational, losing to Utah Valley State (30-27, 24-30, 21-30, 26-30) before beating Tennessee Tech (30-20, 32-30, 30-24) and Butler (30-22, 30-25, 28-30, 30-24).

The Huskies improve to 3-4 on the season with the wins.

In the finale against Butler, the Huskies saw four players hit in double-digit kills, with Meagan Schoenrock and Laura Baetzel leading the way with 20 each. Irene Johnson added 12, while Cassie Yates reached 10.

“I think this was our best team effort of the year,” NIU coach Ray Gooden said. “We were able to do things positively on the offensive side with four people having double-digit kills. That is the kind of balance that we are looking for.”

The Huskies also played solid defense with a combined 102 digs. Maddie Hughes and Jody Hardwick led the way there with 26 and 23 digs respectively.

Baetzel and Schoenrock’s solid performances were recognized as they received Butler Invitational All-Tournament Team honors.

“Baetzel and Schoenrock did a real good job, especially in the last two matches,” Gooden said. “They helped carry us defensively. They really stepped up and were deserving of their honors.”