The NIU volleyball team was able to grab victory in its first-round match of the MAC Tournament Tuesday night.

The sixth-seeded Huskies (18-13 overall, 9-7 MAC) got past Kent State in five sets, 23-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19, 15-11. The 11th-seeded Golden Flashes (13-17, 3-13) were the 12th team to fall at Victor E. Court this season.

“They had nothing to lose, so they’re going to come out and give it their all,” said NIU head coach Ray Gooden. “What sucks is that the records show that we’re 9-7 and they’re 3-13. They’ve gone through so many line-ups the entire year, and in all honesty, their three best offensive players did not play tonight.”

Two of the Flashes’ top three attackers, seniors Krista Groce and Ashley Feutz, saw limited time Tuesday, as Groce saw action in two sets and Feutz did not play.

The Huskie attack saw four players reach double-digit kills, and was led by junior outside hitter Meagan Schoenrock, who tallied 23 kills and hit .308 for the match. Freshman outside hitter Allison McGlaughlin stood out as well, notching a double-double with 13 kills and 17 digs.

Schoenrock had only four kills after the first two sets, but then exploded in the last three for 19.

“Honestly, I just wasn’t doing well in the beginning,” Schoenrock said. “My setters were giving me very good sets and I just wasn’t putting the ball away for them. In the end, I just tried to pick it up for my setters.”

Both teams had a lot of momentum heading into the final set, which went back-and-forth, until Gooden called a timeout with NIU down 10-11.

The Huskies then went on a 5-0 run, keyed by two McGlaughlin kills, to take the set, 15-11.

“I think we play our best volleyball when it’s tight,” Schoenrock said. “When our opponent is playing awesome, and it’s a very interesting game, then we are excited to play; we want to play and we play even harder. So it really helps us win the match.”

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