Who can beat BGSY volleyball right now? 

That’s the question the rest of the Mid-American Conference will be asking, as the Orange and Brown (18-8, 13-2 MAC) took care of business Friday night against Northern Illinois (3-22, 1-14 MAC). 

Here’s how it happened: 

Set 1: 26-24 (BG lead 1-0) 

The teams played evenly in the first frame, exchanging some leads and finding themselves tied 14-14. Shortly after, the Falcons placed distance between the teams, closing in on a set 1 win with a 23-19 lead.

The Huskies refused to roll over, responding with five straight points to take a 24-23 advantage. 2 straight Lauryn Hovey kills made the score 25-24 BG, and a Jordan Newblatt kill marked 26 points, claiming the first set for the Falcons. 

Set 2: 25-21 (BG lead 2-0) 

Northern Illinois flexed their muscles early in the second set, going up 6 to 3, but the Falcons immediately responded with three straight points to tie the match at six a piece.

The Falcons outscored the Huskies 6-2 to take a 12-8 lead, their largest lead of the set.

NIU was able to find four straight points later in the set thanks to a service error and two attacking errors from the Falcons, but ultimately, the Orange and Brown never let go of the lead and put the set away 25-21 

Set 3: 26-24 (BG wins 3-0) 

The Huskies started the third set looking to avoid elimination and played as such, jumping out to an early 2-5 lead. BG tied it up on three straight points, and the teams continued back and forth before NIU broke away.

Taking an 11-8 lead, the Huskies managed to stay ahead and extend it to 20-14. The Falcons were unfazed, scoring six straight points to even the game at 20 all. T

he teams traded points back and forth to tie at 24, at which point two straight Falcon points ended the set 26-24, and the clean match sweep for BG. 

Notable Stats: 

• BG outhit NIU .240 to .169 overall, hitting more efficiently than the Huskies in each set. 

• Mia Tyler led all players with 11 kills. 

• Amanda Otten led the match with 33 assists. 

• Jessica Andrews’ .500 hitting percentage led the Falcons, and her nine kills tied for 2nd. 

• Friday’s win marks the Falcons’ 8th straight match won, with 6/8 being sweeps. 

The Falcons will look to complete the sweep of NIU at 5 p.m. in Dekalb on Saturday. Falcon Media Sports Network’s Ben Corak will be on the call, with pregame starting around 4:45 p.m. on WBGU 88.1 FM.