Ella Mihacevich has a knack for finding opportunities. NIU volleyball’s junior setter has switched majors, earned an internship and competed abroad midway through her third year as a Huskie.

Mihacevich has proven her ability to excel in the court and the classroom. The junior has been named to the College of Business Dean’s List in each of the past two semesters. Mihacevich was one of four volleyball players to earn a 4.0 GPA in Spring 2022.

“Since I’ve grown up, my parents have held me to a really high standard,” Mihacevich said. “All positive pressure … They want us to be the best we can be in school and sport and life.”

From physics buff to number cruncher

Mihacevich’s first year of classes at NIU were asynchronous after the COVID-19 pandemic forced instruction to an online format.

“I just didn’t feel like I learned anything my freshman year which broke my heart because I have such a passion for calculus and for physics,” Mihacevich said. “You don’t see that everyday, especially as a girl.”

Mihacevich made the decision after freshman year to make the move from biomedical engineering to accountancy.

“I love numbers,” Mihacevich said. “I took some accounting classes in high school. I knew that was something I enjoyed. My grandma is the accountant for my family’s business.”

The Mihacevich family owns a packaging company that got its start in her grandparents’ basement in 1987. The business, named M-Line, sells bubble wrap, cardboard boxes and other packaging products.

A summer to remember

Over the summer, Mihacevich had the opportunity to gain professional experience abroad.

Mihacevich said she had plans to be a risk management consultant intern at Crowe LLP, a public accounting firm, for Summer 2022 before Gooden made her an offer. Gooden reached out to Mihacevich this past winter to offer her the opportunity to play abroad in Europe during the summer, sponsored by Bring It USA.

Mihacevich worked with Gooden and Crowe LLP so that she could do both programs over the summer.

“Honesty, from my side and the cooperativeness from Crowe’s side, like, kind of worked together,” Mihacevich said.

“I had no clue what I was getting myself into,” Mihacevich said. “Getting on the plane and flying across the globe basically to go play volleyball with no one that I knew was really intimidating. But it was just an amazing experience and definitely life-changing. Career-changing, even.”

Mihacevich’s trip ended with favorable results. Her team took home a gold medal during the competition.

A tight-knit room of setters

The setter position at NIU means more to head coach Ray Gooden because he played the same position during his college days at Ohio State University.

“I know that anybody who plays the setting position here, there is such a level of expectation, just mainly because, probably because of me,” Gooden said.

This season’s roster has two setters: Mihacevich and sophomore Sophie Hurt. While small in numbers, their camaraderie is anything but small, according to Gooden.

“The room of setters work really well with each other, and they work hard for each other,” Gooden said. “The relationships are so important. They are each other’s biggest supporters.”

Working hard and playing hard

Grace Balensiefer, Mihacevich’s former teammate and current setter at Purdue University, described Mihacevich as a fun and outgoing individual.

“She’s just so fun,” Balensiefer said. “She’s very outgoing. We have this thing called the ‘Ella dance’ whenever we’re out with our friends. She’d know what I’m talking about, the whole team would know what I’m talking about.”

Hurt added that Mihacevich also knows how to be a focused competitor during practices and matches.

“She is very composed and a very, very hard worker,” Hurt said about Mihacevich. “I would say that she can have a lot of fun but also be really serious and really focused in on when we’re at practice. It’s really fun to play with her for both of those aspects, to have that fun and that celebration, but also to be really locked in and work on what we need to get done.”

When Mihacevich isn’t setting up her teammates to make plays on the ball, she finds ways to help improve the team’s chemistry.

“She’s always trying to hang out with the team or going to Starbucks before a game to instill those traditions and create friendships within the team,” Balensiefer said. “Make everyone cohesive on the team because that’s what makes a volleyball team great is having good relationships outside of volleyball. You play so much better when you’re closer outside of volleyball, and it kind of translates onto the court.”

Mihacevich and the Huskies (13-4, 6-1 MAC) will put their cohesiveness to the test when they face off with Ball State University (12-6, 4-2 MAC) for a two-game series. The matches will be played at 6 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday at Victor E. Court.