Despite going into its game against Western Michigan as the underdog, the NIU volleyball team fought headstrong.

In the end, however, the Huskies fell short Thursday night, losing to the Broncos in four sets 25-20, 17-25, 22-25, 18-25.

“We came out with a good amount of fight,” said NIU head coach Ray Gooden. “We put a lot of pressure on the best team in the league.”

Meghan Schoenrock launched a kill to grab NIU the first point of the game, and the Huskies held control of that lead for the remainder of the set. The game was neck and neck, with never more than a three-point advantage held by either team. In the middle of the match, points were
exchanged with every serve. This back-and-forth scoring went on for several plays, including the longest rally of the night, ended by a clutch block by Mary Kurisch. Quickly after this play, the Huskies (6-10, 0-3 MAC) gained a bit of momentum and grabbed their first three-point lead of the game at 20-17. The Huskies won the game 25-20 after yet another block from Kurisch.

Not to go down without a fight, the Broncos (11-7, 3-0 MAC) came back with a vengeance in set two. They grabbed the early lead and, like the Huskies the set before, were able to maintain it for the whole game. Despite four ties, there were never any lead changes. NIU lost some of the focus it displayed in the first set, and WMU pulled ahead. In the end, WMU won the set 25-17.

Set three began with fierce play on both sides. By the time the score reached 5-5, there were already four tie scores and two lead changes. The Huskies were then able to pull ahead 9-5.
This was met with retaliation by the Broncos, and after gaining momentum, they were able to tie the score at 13-13. WMU was then able to grab the lead once again after going on a seven-point run. Although the Huskies were able to break their run and score some points of their own, they never recovered, and the Broncos won 25-22.

With the Broncos at the advantage, the Huskies came into set four ready for action. However, knowing they had the advantage did not give the Broncos a false sense of security. WMU came in with just as much intensity as any other set, and were able to claim victory after winning set four 25-18.

“The game was frustrating,” said NIU junior Dani D’Ambrose. “There were glimpses of greatness for us, we just couldn’t maintain.”

Though the match against the top team in the division is now behind them, an even tougher match is still just ahead. The Huskies will take on Miami (OH), ranked as one of the top two teams of the MAC East. The game is at 7 p.m. at Victor E. Court.

“They are undefeated in conference,” Gooden said. “So things aren’t going to get any easier.”

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