This weekend, the NIU volleyball team jump-started their conference season with two matches against Ball State and Toledo.

The Cardinals (6-8) proved to be unstoppable against the Huskies. They claimed victory with ease, winning in three sets. Ball State was able to gain momentum in each set, directly resulting in their three victories. Their polished offense left the Huskies struggling to defend against their attacks.

In the first set, the Cardinals faced little resistance. They gained the lead from the first point and held onto it for the entire game. The second set however was a different story.

“Game two was close in score but not in control,” said NIU head coach Ray Gooden. “We needed better defense.”

With seven tie scores throughout set two and three lead changes, the Huskies were able to hold their own for parts of the match. However, set three was played similarly to set one, and the Huskies fell to the Cardinals 25-16.

Their match against Toledo the following morning proved to be a much closer matchup. After the blowout of the night before, the Huskies found themselves locked in a battle that required the full five sets of play.

“I thought we came out on fire in game number one,” Gooden said. “But they made adjustments and came out real strong in game two.”

NIU (6-9, 0-2 MAC) took control of the match in the first set after accomplishing a 25-15 victory, but Toledo (10-3, 1-1 MAC) retaliated by claiming victory in the following set 26-15. Game three was the closest match of them all, but once again Toledo took the win by two points, 25-23.
With the Rockets at the advantage, the Huskies were forced to win set four if they hoped to continue on to play a fifth. They thrived under the pressure and snagged the win with a score of 25-22.

It all came down to game five. Unfortunately for NIU, momentum was on the side of the Rockets, and they held the lead from the get-go. Toledo claimed the final victory for the match, winning game five 15-12.

Although the Huskies did not manage to grab a win against Toledo, they were able to make improvements to their game that almost led to their first conference victory.

“I thought as a group we came into the game more energized to play,” Gooden said. “We understood that matches are going to be a dog fight from beginning to end.”

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