NIU women's volleyball is 7-3 with a 4-match win streak going into Friday and Saturday (9-23 and 24) matches with Akron. Then there's a Tues 9-27 homer with WMU before they hit the road. Another Huskie team making the grade!

So they're not going for it on 4th and 4 on their own 32 yard line then?

That 7-3 includes a 1-1 split at the Huskie Invitational, a 2-0 win of the KC Roos Classic at UMKC, a 2-0 win at the NIU Invitational, and 4-0 in the last 4 matches. Hope NIU Vball can keep rolling with two upcoming matches at home with Akron this weekend. The Sept. 27 home match against WMU is scheduled for ESPN+ at 6 p.m.

Coach Ray Gooden got 'em fired up.

Remember the days when Pete Waite was HC before Wisconsin lured him away? The old Fieldhouse drew some great crowds. That was '88-'98.

NIU is now 9-3 (2-0) after wins Friday and Saturday over Akron at home. Tuesday 9-27 homer with WMU is next. Thought this deserved another mention. We'll take any silver lining we can get.

(09-25-2022 05:24 AM)pvk75 Wrote:  NIU is now 9-3 (2-0) after wins Friday and Saturday over Akron at home. Tuesday 9-27 homer with WMU is next. Thought this deserved another mention. We'll take any silver lining we can get.

They're playing quite well, considering they were (are) expected to place 4th. I still don't know why we aren't consistently at the top of the MAC. When we last won it, we were so dominate, then we fell off the table, and it's been a few years of struggling to climb back up.

I'm a guy who loves college football and bball. Have for more than five decades. But one or two or three teams are not an athletic program.

Men's soccer is looking good. Women's soccer is looking better. Vball is doing well. Gymnastics and wrestling have done well. Etc etc etc, right down to golf.

I never enjoyed watching more than a few pro tournaments, and never been to one amateur with NIU in it, and when I could I used to enjoy playing it more than anything.

But if we are The Huskies, then we are *all* The Huskies. That includes alumni, students, employees, fans, etc. All the sports.

Sure, criticize. A fan's privilege. But we have a lot to be grateful for and support. Yeah, NIU lost to Kentucky but looked a lot better doing it ... shadows of its own 2022 version of 2003 the team that beat Alabama, Maryland and Iowa State in the same season.

Becoming a winning program -- revenue and non-revenue sports -- is a zig-zag blend of winning and losing. Regardless, it's *our* program.

That's my take. So enough mushy stuff.

Yeah, Tuesday against WMU will tell a lot about how good this team is. After two road matches in Buffalo next weekend, we have four straight home matches, the last two against the hated Ball State Cardinals ( I think chief v-ball rivalry). The ups and downs in V-ball can in part be attributed to having several left side pin hitters transfer over the years; T'Ara Austin, Kaylee Martin and Jorie Radtke. Gooden still seems to have trouble recruiting that position. Katie Jablonski ( transfer in) is steady and Briana Scuric had a nice weekend, but she's been up and down. I think we have three other left side hitters on the roster that haven't grabbed the spot.

9/27: NIU beats Western Michigan (now 10-5, 2-1).

NIU now 10-3 (3-0).

Next: @ Buffalo Sept. 30 & Oct. 1.

Huskies now 11-3 (4-0) after win over Buffalo.

(09-30-2022 09:04 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  Huskies now 11-3 (4-0) after win over Buffalo.

That's really impressive

Update: Huskies won the first matchup with Buffalo on Sept. 30, lost the second on Oct. 1, then won on Friday vs. Bowling Green to go 12-4 (5-1). That's 2 Ws of the last 3. Homer with Miami-O is tonight at 7 p.m. at Victor E Gym.

Another win! Now 13-4 (6-1) with win tonight vs. Miami-O at home in three straight sets.

Next are homers Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (2 p.m.) vs Ball State.

(10-08-2022 09:31 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  Another win! Now 13-4 (6-1) with win tonight vs. Miami-O at home in three straight sets.

Next are homers Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (2 p.m.) vs Ball State.

They are first place in the West. Bowling Green is ranked 30 in the country and we are ranked 112th( that was last week's rankings). We beat BG on Friday, which was a huge victory.

The next 4 games will really tell us who we are. We have 2 matches at home against BSU who went to the second round in the NCAA tourney last year. The following week we have 2 matches at Toledo who is a half a game behind us in the standings.

NIU dropped a couple tough ones against Ball State and lost the first of two against Toledo, but came back today and beat Toledo. Now 14-7 (7-4); Toledo is 14-8 (7-4). Tied for second in West Div., behind Ball State.

Ball State (17-6/9-2) and Bowling Green (14-8/9-2) lead the conference. NIU does not play either one again in the regular season.

At Kent State next Friday, at Ohio next Saturday. After that 2 home with CMU (currently 6-4 MAC), 2 @ EMU (3-8), one @ WMU (5-6). MAC tourney Nov. 20-22 (location tbd).

(10-09-2022 09:11 AM)Schaefer Beer Wrote:  

(10-08-2022 09:31 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  Another win! Now 13-4 (6-1) with win tonight vs. Miami-O at home in three straight sets.
Next are homers Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (2 p.m.) vs Ball State.

They are first place in the West. Bowling Green is ranked 30 in the country and we are ranked 112th( that was last week's rankings). We beat BG on Friday, which was a huge victory.
The next 4 games will really tell us who we are. We have 2 matches at home against BSU who went to the second round in the NCAA tourney last year. The following week we have 2 matches at Toledo who is a half a game behind us in the standings.

Would like every Huskie program to be successful, but I'm curious what the last four games told us about "who we are"? Going 1-3 in those matches makes us 7-4 in the MAC. The remaining foes are a combined 25-29 in league play. Since winning nine in a 10-match stretch prior to last two weekends, hopefully we'll far exceed the pre-season fourth-place forecast.

Huge matches coming up for VB. The last two home matches of the year against Central Michigan this weekend could determine if the the VB team makes it to the six team MAC Tournament or not. CM at 8-5 is ahead of 7-6 NIU in the standings, and the final three matches are on the road against Eastern Michigan (2) and Western Michigan. EMU and WMU are both below our Huskies in the standings, but are usually tough on their home court.

NIU split with CMU with a loss (Fri) and a win (Sat, today) to go 15-10/8-7. Next is two at EMU next Fri and Sat.

A curiosity ... Fri attendance was booked at 370 on the official website, but at 0 for Sat, today. Why no count/estimate? Sat was Seniors Day.

NIU (15-10, 8-7 MAC) @ EMU (5-22, 4-11 MAC) today (Friday, Nov. 11) and Saturday.

Friday/today match at 5 p.m. CST on ESPN3. Saturday at 3 p.m. CST also streaming on ESPN3.

(Times converted from EST on NIU website.)

After these, single match Nov. 16/Weds/5 p.m. CST/ESPN3 at WMU.

MAC standings:
https://getsomemaction.com/standings.aspx?path=wvball

Tournament info is a little screwy: NIU website says Nov. 20-22; MAC website says Nov. 21-23. Whatever.

NIU def EMU. Vs EMU agaun Sat, then Weds at WMU.

NIU def EMU today for second win of two (also won Fri). NIU now 17-10/10-7. One match to go @ WMU on Weds.

In sixth place behind Toledo.