Up 23-12 in the third game, NIU’s Megan Markowski was overwhelmed by yelling. A loud voice told her to move.

And move she did. Markowski lunged to save a blocked ball and with her body fully extended, popped the ball back in the air to setter Marie Zidek. A bump to Tera Lobdell and a quick swing made sure Markowski’s efforts didn’t go in vain.

“I just heard Ray yelling and I just reacted,” Markowski said of NIU coach Ray Gooden. “That’s something he’s been driving into us. That sense of hustle on defense.”

That hustle by the NIU volleyball team frustrated the Toledo hitters all night, Gooden said.

Whether they were blocking or coming up with key digs like Markowski’s, the Huskies defense didn’t allow UT to get into a rhythm, limiting the offense to a .120 hitting percentage for the match.

Led by Markowski and Corinne Walsh at the net, NIU tallied just seven total team blocks, but this was one time that the stat sheet didn’t show the true aspect of what happened, Gooden said.

“We were all over at the net,” Gooden said. “We got our hands on everything. I’m just surprised that didn’t show up in the stats.”

The combo of Markowski and Walsh had six blocks apiece, including many more times in which they blocked the Toledo hitters, but UT was able to recover.

With the two teams’ third matchup in less than a month, they have gotten to know each other’s tendencies, Markowski said. And despite UT’s adjustments from the previous two matches, the NIU defense still knew what to do.

They posted 52 digs, led by 15 from Lobdell and 10 apiece from Gina Guide and Markowski. And despite Rachel Mohler, who had 17 kills, only one other UT attacker had more than five kills.

“We came out and played some really hard, scrappy defense,” Gooden said. “We kept getting better in each game and that is something that can only help as we continue on.”