DEKALB, Ill.  – On the road Thursday night the Western Michigan volleyball defeated Northern Illinois in straight sets (25-18, 25-20, 25-17) to secure its fifth sweep of the season.

The Broncos were guided by a stellar offensive performance, registering a .267 attack percentage while holding the Huskies to a .067 attack percentage. WMU also had five service aces and 10 blocks compared to NIU's four. The Huskies on the night posted 24 attack errors.

Offensively WMU was led by freshman Maggie King with 10 kills to go along with a .241 attack percentage and six digs. King was the lone Bronco on the night to record double-digit kills. It's the fourth straight match King has recorded double-digit kills.

Redshirt sophomore Charley Andrews, sophomore Meredith Phillips and senior Willow Martin each recorded seven kills with Andrews earning a .312 attack percentage. Junior Rachel Bontrager ended her streak of 17 straight matches with double-digit kills, posting six kills to go along with 14 digs and five blocks.

Freshman Rose Duffy led the Broncos with 20 assists followed by junior Mary Marzo with 17. Senior Kathleen Reilly guided the Brown & Gold with 16 digs against the Huskies.

With the win Western Michigan improves its overall record to 14-13 and 5-10 in Mid-American Conference play. The Broncos conclude their regular season on the road on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 6:00 p.m. against Miami.

Set One (WMU – 25, NIU – 18)
The Broncos got off to a fast start in the first set against the Huskies, jumping out to a 9-3 lead before NIU rallied back with three straight points to make it 9-6. After a Bontrager kill, WMU jumped out to a 14-8 lead thanks in large part to seven attack errors from the Huskies.

Western Michigan was the first to 20 in set one after a 4-0 run highlighted by a block and a kill from Bontrager. To end the set, the Brown & Gold got kills from Williams and sophomore Meredith Phillips to take the set, 25-18.

Set Two (WMU – 25, NIU – 20)
The Broncos got off to a similar start in the second set, jumping out to an 8-3 lead before the Huskies rallied back  later in the set with a 4-0 run to tie the match at 9-9. NIU grabbed its first lead of the match midway through after embarking on a 6-1 run to grab an 11-10 advantage.

Trailing by one, WMU stormed back scoring three straight points to regain its lead at 13-11. The two teams traded points midway through the set before WMU went on a 3-0 run to earn a 23-17 lead. After NIU cut the lead down to four before a Phillips kill gave WMU the 25-20 set victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.

Set Three (WMU – 25, NIU – 17)
In the third and final set the Broncos recorded a staggering .500 attack percentage en route to the 25-17 set three victory. Once again WMU recorded a fast start, taking an 8-3 lead before embarking on a 5-0 run midway through the set to gain a 15-10 advantage.

Northern Illinois looked to make a comeback late in the third set, going on a 3-0 run to cut WMU's lead down to 19-15 before a kill from redshirt sophomore Charley Andrews propelled the Broncos to 20. To end the match, WMU embarked on a 4-0 run highlighted by a block from Williams and Bontrager to secure the sweep over the Huskies.