Sports
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Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016
MAC play begins at home Players to watch
Danielle Brown Staff writer
Mary Grace Kelly
DeKALB | The women’s volley-
ball team begins Mid-American Conference play 7 p.m. Thursday on Victor E. Court as they host Western Michigan University. They begin conference play at 8-4 on the season, their most wins in non-conference play since 2012. NIU will play two matches over the weekend with the second beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday against Bowling Green State University at Victor E. Court. The Huskies will look to build on their effective season last year when they went 14-2 in MAC play. The team is coming in hot after a successful weekend in Washington, D.C., going 3-0 against University of Tennessee, George Washington University and James Madison University. Prior to those matches, the Huskies endured some competitive play in Hawaii, but lost every match. Although they were unable to win, the team got the chance to play against some amazing teams and improve overall. The start to the Huskies’ season has been superb, starting with the Huskie Invitational and the North Dakota State University Classic. The Huskies fell to University of
Position: Outside hitter Matches Played: 12 Kills: 130 Assists: two Digs: 70 Blocks: 20 Points: 157 Aces: 11 Jenna Radtke Position: Middle Blocker Atlee Hargis | Northern Star
Matches Played: 12
Junior outside hitter Taylor Krage digs for the ball against Iowa on Aug. 28.
Kills: 107 Ohio in the Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship in straight sets — 25-17, 2511, 25-19. NIU is 2-5 in the MAC Championship game all-time. The last time the program won the MAC Championship was in 2001. The Huskies are ready to get back into the MAC and begin play. With strong players such as sophomore
middle blocker Meg Wolowicz, senior middle blocker Jenna Radtke, senior outside hitter Mary Grace Kelly and Lauren Zielinski, redshirt senior middle blocker, dominating with their numbers, the team has thrilling conference play ahead of them. Admittance is free to the public and the matches will air on ESPN3.
Assists: 16 Digs: 31 Points: 140.5 Blocks: 37 Aces: 12
Women’s soccer faces formidable foe Krystal Ward Staff writer
DeKALB | Women’s soccer (14-2) opens up Mid-American Conference play this weekend at home when it hosts the Central Michigan University Chippewas (8-0-0) 6:30 p.m. Friday. They will play the Eastern Michigan University Eagles (24-2) 2 p.m. Sunday, both games will be at the Soccer and Track and Field Complex. Central Michigan is one of three unbeaten, untied teams in the NCAA Division-I and is off to its best start in program history. The Chippewas lead the MAC in goals (2.29 per game), assists (2.71 per game), points — two for a goal, one for assist — (7.29 per game) and goals allowed (0.57 per game). They are also tied for first in shutouts with five on the season. The Huskies lost their last meeting with the Chippewas, 2-0, last season. Alexis Pelafas, sophomore forward and midfielder, rocketed a shot from 18 yards off the crossbar and in. Ten minutes later, senior defender Taylor Potts shot from long range into the top left corner of the goal to double the Chippewas’ lead. Pelafas leads the MAC in points (3.17 per game), shots (5.50 per game) and goals (1.50 per game). Central Michigan has three players tied for first in assists in the MAC (0.43 per game). NIU drew with Eastern Michigan, 1-1, in double overtime at their last meeting. Last season, senior forward
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Golf tees off on the competition Tom Burton Staff writer
DeKALB | Women’s golf kept the momentum going with a top-10 finish at the Cardinal Classic Tuesday after a runner-up finish at the Redbird Invitational Sept. 5. The Huskies finished sixth overall with total round scores of 303297-304. NIU hovered around the top five for most of the tournament but was unable to get over the hump in the final round. “Today was not a great day for us,” said Head Coach Kim Kester after the final round Tuesday. “We didn’t have many birdies and had poor putting.” The Huskies were led by sophomores Kelly Anderson (76-77-72) and Brielle Ward (75-70-75), who both posted top-20 individual finishes. “It’s great to see them so steady at the start of the year, and we’re going to continue to keep pushing them,” Kester said. “They’re Kim Kester Head Coach both talented and the sky is the limit for them.” Ward led the team with a ninthplace individual finish, making this her second top-10 finish in two events this season. “I feel like my mental game has improved a lot,” Ward said. “I’ve stayed focused on what I’m doing and [I am] just taking it one shot at a time.” The Huskies practiced Wednesday before getting back on the road today to continue their season this weekend at the Mary Fossum Invitational. “It was a good tournament overall, and we saw a lot of good things,” Kester said. “We’re working on some stuff [Wednesday] and doing some fine tuning before we’re back on the road.” The tournament will be held Saturday and Sunday at Forest Acres West Golf Course in East Lansing, Michigan.
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It is a little bit tighter [of a] course than we’ve seen in the previous two tournaments. If we can keep the ball in play and have few putts, we’ll be all right.” Kim Kester Head Coach
Atlee Hargis | Northern Star
Freshman forward Abby Gregg chases down the ball alongside an opposing player during a game against Illinois State Sep. 18 at the Soccer and Track and Field Complex.
Nicole Gobbo put the Huskies on top four minutes into the match. Just before the end of the first half, Eagles’ Kirstin Nason, sophomore midfielder and forward, tied the game on a shot deflected in by a Huskie defender. Eastern Michigan is tied with NIU for tenth in the conference in corner kicks, averaging 2.67 per game, and for fourth in shutouts, averaging 0.33. The Eagles
rank 11th in the MAC in goals and assists, averaging 0.67 per game for both categories. The Huskies average 0.33 goals and assists per game, ranking last in the conference. NIU junior goalkeeper Amy Annala ranks third in the MAC in saves with 5.80 per game and is tied for fourth in the conference in shutouts with three on the season.
MAC opponents 3 p.m. Sept. 30 Kent State University, away Noon Oct. 2 Ohio University, away 3 p.m. Oct. 5 University of Miami (Ohio), away
The coaching staff noted that keeping the ball in play off the tee is critical for success in this tournament. “It is a little bit tighter [of a] course than we’ve seen in the previous two tournaments,” Kester said. “If we can keep the ball in play and have few putts, we’ll be all right.” The roster for this weekend will remain the same with Ward and Anderson along with, senior Lena Gautier, junior Andréa Agniel and freshman Isabella Samudio. After the Invitational this weekend, the women’s golf team will participate in the Johnie Imes Invitational Oct. 3 in Columbia, Missouri.