TOLEDO, OH - UT dropped a tough match to Mid-American Conference foe Northern Illinois 3-1 (25-16, 17-25, 25-23, 25-14) on Friday at St. Ursula Academy. Toledo falls to 13-15 (5-10 MAC) as NIU moves to 16-13 (8-7 MAC).
Shannon Strachan led the Rockets with 15 kills. The senior was clutch in UT's second-set victory as she contributed to five of the Rockets' last eight points. With UT having a three-point edge at 17-14, Toledo went on a 6-0 run which was sparked by a Strachan kill. Freshman RSH Cassie Kleespies added a kill to push the score to 19-14. Strachan then teamed with junior MB Liz Sundburg for a block of an attack by NIU's Allison McGlaughlin. Strachan followed with another kill and then it was Strachan and Sundburg once again blocking a Huskie attack to put UT up 22-14. A NIU attacking error put the Rockets up by nine at 23-14. Strachan added a kill to put the Rockets up 24-15 and then freshman OH Amber DeWeerdt closed out the match with a kill from freshman S Kassie Kadera.
In the first set, the Rockets tallied 10 kills with three coming from both DeWeerdt and Sundberg. While the Huskies posted a nine-point victory, the Rockets attempted a comeback late in the set. NIU was held at its 23rd point while UT tallied four-straight points including two service aces from DeWeerdt. The Huskies closed out the set with back-to-back points, winning 25-16.
Game three was the closest set of the match with the Huskies nabbing a narrow two-point win. UT started out with a two-point lead but NIU answered right back to tie the game at 2-2. The score continued to see-saw within a two-point margin until NIU was able to take a three-point edge at 12-9. The Huskies went on a 6-2 run to push the scoring margin to seven, the highest of the set. UT responded with four-straight points thanks to two NIU attacking errors, a service ace by Kadera and a block by Strachan and Lyndsey Holt. The block made the score 18-15 and put the Rockets within three. NIU then scored three of the next four points to go up by five points at 21-16. Toledo put together another multi-point streak sparked by Strachan as she posted a kill for the Rockets' 17th point, teamed with juniot MB Sarah Wilson for point No. 18 and then had UT within two at 21-19 after she emphatically killed the ball. The Huskies once again scored three of the next four points to get one point away from the set win. UT didn't go down easily, however, as the Rockets rallied with three-straight points including a Kadera kill that had the score at 24-23. NIU's Cassie Yates ended Toledo's hope for a comeback and sealed the win for the Huskies with a kill to edge out the Rockets, 25-23.
The Huskies and Rockets kept the fourth set close at the beginning, tying twice and staying within three points up until NIU took the lead at 11-7. The Huskies scored 13 points to the Rockets' next seven to capture the set and the match.
UT will host its final game of the 2008 regular season on Saturday Nov. 15 at 3:00 p.m. at St. Ursula Academy as Toledo hosts Western Michigan. Strachan and fellow senior Lori Ruth will be honored before the match.
