THE NEED TO KNOWS
Outrigger Resorts Volleyball Challenge
September 10, 2016
Honolulu, Hawai'i
NIU (5-1) vs No. 14 Hawai'i (3-3), Midnight
NIU (5-1) vs Utah Valley (3-4), 5 p.m.
NIU (5-1) vs No. 6 Washington (5-0), 10 p.m.

THIS WEEK'S KEY POINTS
• NIU won all three of its matches at the NDSU Classic last weekend to improve to 5-1 overall. It is the Huskies best start since 2010 when they opened the season 6-0 en route to 11-straight wins to open the year.
• Head Coach Ray Gooden became the program's all-time wins leader on Sept. 2 versus Bradley, 3-0, recording his 267th win at NIU.
• Senior Jenna Radtke averaged 4.50 points per set last weekend, hitting .444 in three matches. Radtke led the team with five service aces and 10 blocks.
• Radtke, who was named to the All-NDSU Classic team, also earned Mid-American Conference West Division Offensive Player of the Week. It is the second-straight week NIU has earned a weekly MAC honor.
• Mary Grace Kelly led the Huskies attack last weekend, averaging 3.90 kills per set and hitting .333. She is coming off a career-best 23 kills and .442 hitting performance at North Dakota State last Saturday.
• The setting combination of Sam Boever (5.33) and Chandler Kinley (6.20) are averaging a combined 11.55 assists per set running the Northern Illinois University offense.
• The Huskies have never played in the Aloha State and has never met Hawai'i or Utah Valley. NIU and Washington will be meeting for the first time since 2004.
• The Rainbow Wahine and the Huskies are the first nationally ranked teams that Northern Illinois University will play in 2015. NIU was 0-3 last season against ranked opponents, falling to Florida State, Kentucky and Ohio State.
• Defensive specialist Malia Gabel lived in Hawai'i with her family for six years. Her mother, Paige, is Hawai'ian. In high school, she trained with former Olympian Kevin Wong in Hawai'i during her summers on the island.
• NIU will head to Washington, D.C. next weekend for the GW Invitational, taking on James Madison, Tennessee and host George Washington.