Jenny Bowman is part of a team that set its place in NIU history with a MAC title and a new school record for consecutive wins.

However, NIU wouldn’t have accomplished any of those feats without Bowman setting up the NIU offense every play.

Bowman has the role of setter for the MAC powerhouse, a role that can be compared to that of a quarterback on a football team.

“She’s the quarterback of the team,” said coach Todd Kress. “Like our football program, when (Chris) Finlen’s on, they’re on. Jenny didn’t have one of her better matches against Western, and so we didn’t have one of our better matches. As she goes, we go.”

Freshman outside hitter Tera Lobdell agrees with Kress on what Bowman brings to NIU’s offense.

“She allows us outside hitters to hit against one blocker instead of two,” said Lobdell. “She is very important to our team, and what she does on the court I respect.”

Bowman, only a sophomore, already is known around the country as one of the better setters. The Huskies possess a very balanced attack, which makes her job easier. As she explains, there is a lot to think about before and during the play.

“First, I have to look at opposing teams’ blockers,” Bowman said. “Where they are lined up, who’s their strong blocker, weak blocker, who do we want to hit against, and what kind of play should we run to isolate the blockers?”

During the course of a play, Bowman explains that she needs to watch the other middle blocker out of the corner of her eye. She needs to see where they are moving, if they are cheating to one side of the net or the other, and decide where to set the pass.

With so much action happening on the court through the eyes of Bowman, one can see why she is the only Huskie to play in every game of every match. She also has the second highest attack percentage on the team at .331 and is averaging 13.67 assists per game.

With all the work Bowman does, her play hasn’t gone unrecognized in the MAC. Last season she was named MAC freshman of the year, and was named player of the week on November 12 as she had the best assist per game average in the conference.

“Being named player of the week and freshman of the year surprised me,” said the 5-foot-10-inch Bowman. “A lot of times the setter goes unrecognized because they aren’t getting the kill or finishing the point, but it’s nice to get noticed.”

Bowman came to NIU a year and a half ago hoping that she could contribute in propelling NIU into the upper echelon of volleyball programs. After last season’s 24-9 record the future looked bright for both the Huskies and Bowman.

“I was recruited by many schools, Big Ten, PAC 10,” said Bowman. “I chose NIU though, because I like the coaches, the players and the fact that I could come in and help the program right away.”

Bowman has done just that, as NIU has put together a 18-match winning streak and a 15-3 conference record this season. This has made the Huskies the number one seed in the MAC tournament, which starts tonight at Chick Evans Field House.

With the tournament here, Kress claims that Bowman will be a huge factor in how far the Huskies go. In his opinion, she is invaluable to the team, and what she does on the court can’t be duplicated by just anybody. He believes it takes a talented, knowledgeable player like Bowman to succeed as a top setter in collegiate volleyball.

“Sometimes being a setter gets overwhelming, like when we’re in a big match and we run a new offense,” Bowman said. “But after doing it for so long I’ve become used to it. It doesn’t seem like that much to me anymore.”

In the upcoming tournament, Bowman might be a bit overwhelmed as these upcoming matches will be as big as any NIU or Bowman have been in this season.

But she will be looked upon to lead her team to that higher ground, like any quarterback would.

It shouldn’t be that hard for her to do though, considering she’s already part of a team that has set numerous records. Now she is looking to not only set her teammates up not only for points but also for wins and glory.