THE NEED TO KNOWS
Friday: NIU (16-4, 8-0 MAC) at Ohio (10-10, 6-2 MAC), 6 p.m.
Saturday: NIU (16-4, 8-0 MAC) at Kent State (11-10, 4-4 MAC), 5 p.m.

WHAT'S HAPPENIN'
• NIU begins the second half of its Mid-American Conference schedule this weekend - playing six of its next eight matches on the road - starting final stretch at Ohio and Kent State.
• Northern Illinois University's four match, two-weekend road swing is its longest since the start of September when the Huskies played a total of nine matches spanning Fargo, N.D. (Sept. 2-3), Honolulu, Hawai'i (Sept. 10) and Washington, D.C. (Sept. 16-17).
• In true road matches this season, Northern Illinois University is 4-1 with its only loss occurring at No. 14 Hawai'i. NIU fell to the Rainbow Wahine, 3-0, but forced a deuce set in the opening frame, 26-24.
• The Huskies have won their last 11 matches, including its first eight MAC games. NIU currently owns the seventh-longest active unbeaten streak in the country. The team's streak began in Washington, D.C., finishing 3-0 at the GW Invitational.
• Jenna Radtke extended the Huskies streak to four-straight weeks with at least one MAC West Player of the Week award as she earned the division's offensive honor on Monday. It was her fourth overall honor this season and her second offensively.
• With her .474 hitting percentage last weekend, Radtke improved her career hitting percentage four points and is currently No. 1 all-time at NIU with a clip of .340. Her mark is the  23rd-best career hitting percentage amongst active players in the NCAA.
• This season, Radtke ranks 14th in the country in hitting percentage at a clip of .412.
• The Huskies maintained a strong presence defensively last weekend, averaging 2.12 blocks per set. Both Jenna Radtke (1.12) and Meg Wolowicz each averaged (1.14) over a block per set. Wolowicz is ranked 104th nationally in blocks per set and is first in the MAC at 1.13 per set.
• Ten times this season, NIU has notched 10-or-more blocks in a match. The Huskies are 30th nationally and No. 1 in the MAC in blocks per set with a clip of 2.57.
• Three different Huskies - Jenna Radtke (6th), Mary Grace Kelly (8th) and Ann Brereton (10th) - all rank in the top-10 in the Mid-American Conference in service aces this season.
• Outside hitter Taylor Krage is coming off her season-best kill total against Akron, collecting 11 in the match. She's been the Huskies top-server this season at 289 attempts (.955).
• This year's seniors are 1-1 all-time at Kent State, last winning in Kent Oct. 25, 2014 (3-1). The group is seeking its first win at Ohio, having finished 0-2 in Athens.
• Northern Illinois University has not finished 2-0 on the Golden Flashes-Bobcats road swing since 2010.
• NIU leads the all-time series against KSU, 27-8, but trails the OU series, 16-18. Friday's match versus the Bobcats will be a rematch of last season's MAC Tournament Final. The Bobcats won the match in straight sets.

NEXT UP
• The Huskies continue their road swing next weekend when they head to Western Michigan on Thursday and head to current MAC co-leader Miami (Ohio) on Saturday.