DeKALB — The Huskies lost to the Eastern Illinois Panthers Thursday three sets to one to fall to 2-2, leaving the Panthers undefeated, and improving to 3-0 on the season.

The NIU volleyball team lost the first set that was very competitive, tied at 23-23 near the end of the set.

Eastern Illinois scored the next two points of the first set to take a 1-0 lead in the best of five against the Huskies in a set that looked like it could’ve gone either way. 

In the second set, the Huskies looked to have had full control as they racked up the first five points of the set and took a 5-0 lead. 

A surge by the Panthers in the middle of the set got them back into the game that only had them down one with a score of 12-11. The Huskies pulled away, though, by taking control once again, going up 20-13 and then winning the set by a score of 25-19.

In the third set, Eastern Illinois seemed to have control, but the Huskies hung in there up until the middle of the match with a score of 15-13 EIU. The Panthers took control of the set by going on a 10-2 run to finish the match with a score of 25-15.

The fourth set went nearly the same way as the third, with the Huskies hanging around until Eastern Illinois took control of the set once again to win the set and match with a score identical to the third 25-15. 

NIU volleyball head coach Ray Gooden knows that the team has to find a way to get on the same page to win more matches.

“In order for our team to find success, we all have to be on board with what’s going on,” Gooden said.

Junior outside hitter Kaitlyn Bell led the Huskies with nine kills on the evening, followed up by senior middle blocker Angie Gromos who had a total of eight kills. 

The Huskies will have a second look at the Panthers as they face off against them again in their next game 6 p.m. Saturday in DeKalb.