After being swept by Miami over a month ago at Anderson Arena, the Falcons went in to Millett Hall and were only able to win one set.
The Falcons came out strong and won the first set, 25-17. When the score was 14-13, in favor of BG, the Falcons went on a five-to-one run, making the score 19-14.
Kills by Corey Domek and Emily Kauth put the finishing touches on the RedHawks.
Allison Kearney had nine assists, Shari Luther added four kills and Noelle Spitler posted two blocks in BG’s win.
In the second set, the Falcons’ momentum didn’t carry over. BG never lead in the set as the RedHawks won, 25-18.
Kearney had two aces, six assists and a block in the loss. The RedHawks’ Megan Griffin lead the way with five kills, while Andrea Atteberry had 11 assists.
The Falcons didn’t lead in the third set, either. They kept it close throughout, but Miami snuck away with a 25-21 victory.
Kearney and Domek led the way for BG with 10 assists and five kills, respectively. Domek also added an ace and a block.
In the fourth set, BG kept it close, but again, the RedHawks came out on top 25-19.
Domek had a double-double on the night with 17 kills and 10 digs. She had a .333 attack percentage and posted two aces.
Luther was big for the Falcons, too, as she hit .370 and had 12 kills.
After being on the road for three weeks in a row, the Falcons will head back to Anderson Arena tomorrow for a match against Northern Illinois.
Van De Walle can’t wait to return home.
‘We will have the chance to play in front of our fans ‘hellip; the best fans in the conference,’ she said. ‘When our fans are loud, this team plays hard.’
The Huskies (13-12, 7-5 Mid-American Conference), are battling for a first found bye in the MAC Tournament.
As a team, they are averaging 13.43 kills per set, second-best in the conference. Their attack percentage of .223 ranks them third in the conference, right behind BG.
NIU’s Megan Schoenrock, who is from Toledo, is averaging 2.82 kills per set and Maddie Hughes leads the MAC and ranks 37th in the country with 4.90 digs per set.
This is going to be a good team, Van De Walle said.
‘We’re expecting a big, physical team that hits hard,’ Van De Walle said. ‘Their pin hitters are very good. They are an emotional team that competes hard and they never quit.’
Van De Walle said a win against the Huskies would be huge.
‘A win over a very good NIU team would give us great momentum going into our final weeks of the season,’ she said. ‘We’re still improving and haven’t peaked yet. We’re looking forward to Saturday.’
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