Aug. 24, 2007

DeKALB, Ill. - With the emergency closure of Northern Illinois University due to potentially worsening flood conditions, all matches of the NIU Volleyball Invitational scheduled for Friday, August 24 at the NIU Convocation Center's Victor E. Court, have been cancelled.

Northern Illinois was scheduled to open its 2007 season tonight at 7 p.m. versus Western Illinois while the 5 p.m. match featured Indiana against Western Kentucky.

The determination of whether the Saturday schedule of the NIU Invitational will be played will be made later as Northern Illinois officials continue to monitor the weather.

Currently, the Huskies are scheduled to play a pair of matches Saturday although the competition schedule has been altered due to Friday's cancellation. NIU and Indiana will now open the tournament at 11 a.m. while Western Illinois and Western Kentucky square off at 1 p.m. The second session, featuring Indiana vs. Western Illinois at 5 p.m. and NIU taking on Western Kentucky at 7 p.m., has not been changed.

In addition, Northern Illinois announced that admission to the NIU Volleyball Invitational will be free. Fans should note that concessions will not be available at the matches.

Check back to www.niuhuskies.com for further updates and for the latest information on Northern Illinois University's status, go to www.niu.edu.

-- NIU --