The NIU volleyball team’s small squad was further depleted over the weekend with injuries to starters Megan Markowski and Laura Baetzel.

Baetzel, a freshman outside hitter, was sidelined last week with shoulder tendonitis, while Markowski, a senior middle blocker, aggravated a foot injury during the Duke Invitational.

Coach Ray Gooden expects Baetzel to return to the lineup by the weekend, but was uncertain on Markowski’s status pending an evaluation by the trainers.

“They’re upset they can’t contribute to the team right now,” Gooden said. “But we won’t rush them back into the lineup prematurely. They are trying to get themselves healthy by the time conference play rolls around.”

In the absence of both players, Gooden said junior Megan Sprangers and freshman Amy Ward will rotate at outside hitter while junior Corinne Walsh will switch to the starting middle-blocker spot.

Transfer makes good

After transferring from NIU following her junior season, senior outside hitter Shara Parker is now the top offensive player for the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

Although three herniated discs hampered her playing time at NIU, Parker is having a career-year for the Division II Vulcans. The 5-foot-11 Utah native leads the team with 142 kills and 3.94 kills per game.

Despite getting Pacific West Conference Player of the Week honors for the week of August 30, Parker said she can still improve.

“This is the best I’ve played in a while since the injury,” Parker said. “But I still see areas where I can constantly improve. I’m out to prove my skills and use my experience to be a leader and contribute to the team.”

Serial killer

Tera Lobdell continued her assault on the NIU record books as the senior outside hitter made the Duke Invitational All-Tournament Team with a 23 kills-per-match average.

With at least 23 matches remaining on the Huskies schedule, Lobdell needs 115 kills to break Amber Howard’s career scoring mark of 1,584. She is also on pace to tally over 500 kills this season, which would break her own single-season school record of 492 set last year.

Lobdell leads the MAC in kills with 176 and has a conference-high 5.87 kills per game through the first eight contests of the season.

Rocket-ing to the Top

At the start of the third week of the MAC volleyball season, Toledo remains the only undefeated team in the conference. The Rockets went 6-0 and lost just three individual games while winning both the Middle Tennessee State University Invitational and the University of New Hampshire Tournament.

The MAC schedule begins Sept. 22 with Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan. The Huskies’ first conference match will be Sept. 24 at Eastern Michigan.