DEKALB, Ill. -- The Northern Illinois University volleyball team will travel to Columbus, Ohio this weekend to wrap up non-conference play in the Buckeye Invitational. The Huskies will play a pair of matches on Friday, Sept. 15, meeting Dayton at 9 a.m. CT and No. 25 Ohio State at 6:30 p.m. CT. NIU finishes the tournament against Western Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 12 p.m. CT.

NIU heads to Columbus following a 3-1 victory over Illinois State at home on Tuesday night (Sept. 14). Freshman Kaylee Martin (Sterling, Ill./Sterling) recorded a career-best 25 kills against the Redbirds, becoming the first Huskie to tally 25-or-more kills in a match since Lauren Zielinski had 27 against Buffalo on Oct. 17, 2015. Martin is currently averaging 3.16 kills per set, eighth-best in the Mid-American Conference.

Senior setter Chandler Kinley (Lexington, Ky./Lafayette) had a career-best 44 assists Tuesday against Illinois State, along with 12 digs. Kinley's double-double was her fourth of the season and 13th in her NIU career. 

NIU and Dayton will be meeting for the second time this fall as the Flyers claimed a 3-1 victory on Aug. 25 in the NIU Holiday Inn Express Invitational. Dayton brings a 7-4 record into the weekend after defeating IUPUI, 3-0, on Tuesday night. Amber Erhahon leads Dayton, and the Atlantic 10, hitting .458 while Lauren Bruns is averaging a team-best 3.39 kills per set. 

Ohio State is ranked No. 25 in this week's AVCA Top 25 Poll and brings a 5-3 record into this weekend's action; the Buckeyes split a home-and-home series last week with Notre Dame. Audra Appold is averaging a team-high 2.71 kills per set; Hannah Gruensfelder averages a Big Ten high 5.03 digs per set while, as a team, the Buckeyes lead the Big Ten with 17.62 digs per set. 

Friday's matches against Dayton and Ohio State will both take place on-campus in Columbus at St. John Arena. 

Western Kentucky heads to Columbus with a 10-2 overall record following a 3-0 win over Lipscomb on Tuesday; the Hilltoppers are receiving votes in this week's AVCA poll. As a team, Western Kentucky is leading Conference USA in hitting percentage, and ranked seventh nationally, at .310. Alyssa Cavanaugh paces the Hilltoppers individually at .384 while averaging a team-high 4.12 kills per set. 

The match between the Huskies and Hilltoppers will be played at the Capital Center at Capital University in Bexley, Ohio. 

NIU will open Mid-American Conference play next week with a pair of road matches. The Huskies will travel to Kalamazoo, Mich., to meet Western Michigan on Thursday, Sept. 21, and will visit Bowling Green on Saturday, Sept. 23.