DeKALB, Ill. – The Western Michigan volleyball team dropped a closely-contested, three-set match (29-27, 25-22, 27-25) at Northern Illinois on Tuesday evening.
 
FINAL SCORE: Northern Illinois 3, Western Michigan 0
LOCATION: Victor E. Court (DeKalb, Ill.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (6-12, 3-2 MAC) | NIU (10-4, 3-2 MAC)
 
Leah Richmond made it nine double-doubles in a row, handing out 34 assists to go with 11 digs. Mary Clare Brusek collected double-digit kills for the fifth straight contest, putting down a team-high 12 while hitting .375. Amanda Glanton tallied 10 kills on a blistering .529 hitting percentage and totaled a team-leading five blocks (1 solo, 4 assists). Elana Erickson led the Broncos in digs with 13.
 
Even at 15-15 in the first frame, Western Michigan used a 4-1 spurt to take a 19-16 edge. Northern Illinois countered with five of the next seven to tie it back up, 21-21. Three of the next four got the Broncos to set point at 24-22, but NIU fought off three set points before having an opportunity of their own at 26-25. WMU flipped the tables and went ahead 27-26, but the Huskies had the final say, grabbing the last three points to take the opening stanza, 29-27.
 
NIU built a 9-5 advantage at the start of the second set. The Broncos then reeled off nine of the next 10, including six in a row at one point, to move ahead, 14-10. With WMU on top 17-12, the Huskies used a 7-1 run to regain the lead, 19-18. Western Michigan briefly nudged back ahead, 20-19, only for the hosts to answer with four straight to go up 23-20, which was enough to hold off the Brown and Gold and grab a 2-0 match edge.
 
A 4-1 stretch helped WMU break an 8-8 tie and grab a 12-9 advantage in the third. Northern Illinois tallied the next three points to bring it right back to even at 12-12. Deadlocked again at 20-20, Western Michigan notched three in a row to take a three-point lead once more, 23-20. The Brown and Gold again had opportunities to close it out, reaching set point at 24-22, but the Huskies scored five of the final six points of the night to battle back and seal the victory.
 
Western Michigan returns to University Arena later this week for a two-match series against Akron. First serve for the opener against the Zips is slated for Thursday at 5 pm. For tickets to any WMU volleyball home match, visit wmubroncos.com/tickets.