DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University volleyball team continues a stretch of five matches in seven days this weekend when it travels to Dayton for the Dayton Invitational, followed by a match on Monday at noon against Texas Tech at Victor E. Court.
 
The Huskies will take on the host Flyers Friday at 11:30 a.m., followed by a matchup with #14 Michigan at 4 p.m. NIU wraps up the tournament with a match against Missouri on Saturday at 12 p.m.
 
"We're going to play three really good teams and three storied programs this weekend," said head coach Ray Gooden. "It'll be a good experience for our group to understand how to play volleyball not only well, but for long periods of time. That's what we need for league play. We're going to have to be good not only in short spurts but for a sustained period of time."
 
NIU enters this weekend 2-2 after a four-set loss at Chicago State Tuesday night. The Huskies went 2-1 in the NIU Invitational last weekend with a 3-1 win over Fairleigh Dickinson and a 3-2 win over UC Riverside last Saturday. The Huskies have had a balanced offense to start the season with four players averaging at least two kills per set. Junior Kennedy Wallace (Kansas City, Kan./Piper) is leading that charge with 3.12 kills per set. She had a career-high 21 kills in the Huskies' victory over UC Riverside last weekend.
 
"Kennedy has a better understanding of what she can do to maximize her opportunities," Gooden said. "She's really taken a step from last year to this year."
 
On Monday, the Huskies host Texas Tech at Victor E. Court.  The Red Raiders have won the only two meetings in the series but the two sides have not faced each other since 1998.
 
"We're fortunate to host a power five school here at Victor E. Court," said Gooden. "We get a chance to play at home where we might take advantage of as much as we possibly can."
 
Monday's match is Military Appreciation, where members of the military can receive free admission with their military identification.
 
--NIU--