THE NEED TO KNOWS
NIU Invitational
Victor E. Court
Aug. 26-28, 2016
Friday: Loyola vs DePaul, Noon; DePaul vs. NIU, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Loyola vs Iowa, 10 a.m.; DePaul vs Iowa, 3:30 p.m.; Loyola vs. NIU, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Iowa vs. NIU, 2 p.m.

DeKALB - The official start of the 2016 NCAA Volleyball season will begin this weekend and for Northern Illinois University it signals the annual NIU Invitational at Victor E. Court. The six-match tournament, starting Friday and finishing Sunday, will feature the host Huskies, DePaul, Iowa and Loyola.

NIU students receive free admission to all home matches. Single game tickets are available Friday's matches and Sunday for $5 each while the purchase of a single ticket on Saturday will serve as a day pass. Season tickets for the NIU volleyball season are available starting at $30 each. Purchase today by calling 815-753-PACK (7225).

An All-Sports Pass is also available to faculty & staff of Northern Illinois University with the purchase of an NIU football season ticket, starting at $115. Purchase today by calling 815-753-PACK (7225).

The opening match of the tournament, featuring the Blue Demons and the Ramblers, will begin at noon while the centerpiece - NIU and DePaul - will serve at 7 p.m. The match will air live on ESPN3.

A full day of volleyball will take place Saturday as Iowa will take on Loyola and DePaul at 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., respectively. The Huskies will close day two versus the Ramblers at 7 p.m.

The tournament finale between NIU and the Hawkeyes will take place on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Huskies and Iowa closed last year's tournament where they defeated Iowa in four sets, 3-1, to finish the weekend a perfect 3-0.

Northern Illinois University fans who are unable to attend the tournament can watch Friday's and Sunday's matches on their computers or mobile devices on WatchESPN. Saturday's match will be streamed on NIUHuskies.com.

Earlier this week, NIU was voted as the Mid-American Conference's West Division preseason favorite to repeat as division champions for a third-straight season, receiving 11 first-place votes. The Huskies finished 2015 with a 19-11 overall record and a 14-2 clip in the MAC to win the regular season championship.

The last two times the Huskies have been voted the favorite in the West Division, 2011 and 2015, NIU has gone on to win the regular season title.

NIU advanced to its first tournament final since 2012 last year and its seventh as a member of the Mid-American Conference after defeating Miami (Ohio) in the tournament semifinal.

Though NIU defeated Ohio in the regular season, snapping the Bobcats 33-match unbeaten streak in conference matches, OU won the final meeting in the MAC Championship, winning in straight sets.

Eleven Huskies from the 2015 squad return this year to defend their regular season title.

Jenna Radtke (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) and Lauren Zielinski (Oak Forest, Ill./Marist), both of whom received First Team All-MAC laurels in 2015, return in 2016 along with MAC All-Freshman team selection Meg Wolowicz (Manitowoc, Wis./Manitowoc Lincoln), MAC All-Tournament honoree Anna Brereton (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) and NIU's final returning starter Malia Gabel (Pinckney, Mich./Father Gabriel Richard).

Head Coach Ray Gooden, who will begin his 15th year on the NIU sideline this weekend, enters with a career record of 264-185 with the Huskies. Gooden is second all-time in the Northern Illinois University annals in career wins behind Pete Waite's (1988-98) 266 victories. Gooden earned his fourth Mid-American Conference's Coach of the Year award in 2015.

Last year, DePaul went 16-15 overall with a 4-14 clip in Big East play. Middle blocker Jasmine King, who averaged 2.03 kills and 1.23 blocks per set, hit an impressive .336 in 2015 and will return to bolster the Blue Demons offense and defense.

The Huskies final opponent in the tournament, Iowa, recorded a 12-21 record with a 2-18 clip in Big Ten play. Setter Keala Loxley returns to the lineup to close her career with the Hawkeyes after finishing the season with 1,263 assists, an average of 10.9 assists per set.

Loyola finished 20-12 last season, falling in its opening match of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Leading attacker Morgan Reardon returns for the Ramblers, a year after averaging 3.18 kills per set.

The Huskies will begin a three-weekend road swing next weekend, starting in Fargo, N.D. Sept. 2 and 3 at the NDSU Classic. NIU will meet Bradley, host North Dakota State and South Dakota State during the tournament.