General | October 27

DeKALB, IL – The nationally-ranked NIU men's soccer team plays its final home game of the season with a chance to clinch the Mid-American Conference regular season championship this Saturday to highlight this week in Huskie athletics. The NIU cross country team defends its MAC title at the MAC Championship Saturday morning. NIU men's and women's basketball take the floor at the Convocation Center this weekend in exhibition action with volleyball and women's tennis also at home.
 
Women's Soccer
Thursday, October 28: at Western Michigan, 3 p.m. – Live Video | Live Stats
 
A trip to Western Michigan will close the 2021 season for the NIU women's soccer team as the Huskies make the trip to Kalamazoo on Thursday afternoon. NIU saw its three-match unbeaten streak end last time out as the Huskies fell at Ball State. Haley Hoppe's seven goals are currently tied for fourth-most in the MAC while her 16 points rank sixth in the conference. Western Michigan comes into Thursday's matchup with a 5-12 overall record, 3-7 in league play.
 
Wrestling
Thursday, October 28: Red-Black Dual – 7 p.m.
 
The Huskie wrestling team returns to the mat Thursday for its annual Red-Black Dual inside Victor E. Court at the Convocation Center. The event, which begins at 7 p.m. pits Huskie vs. Huskie in this intra-squad scrimmage. Look for a complete preview on NIUHuskies.com.
 
Women's Tennis
October 29-31: NIU Huskie Indoor Invitational
The NIU women's tennis team will be welcoming four teams to Chick Evans Field House for the NIU Huskie Indoor Invitational starting Friday, Oct. 29. The three-day event will feature Air Force, Chicago State, Lewis and South Dakota in addition to NIU. There will be a complete preview available on NIUHuskies.com later this week.
 
Volleyball
Friday, October 29: Kent State, 5 p.m. – Tickets | Live Video | Live Stats
Saturday, October 30: Ohio, 6 p.m. – Tickets | ESPN3 | Live Stats
 
The NIU volleyball team hosts Kent State and Ohio this weekend at Victor E. Court. The Huskies enter the week one game behind Kent State for the sixth and final MAC Tournament berth, and two games behind Ohio for fifth. NIU split its two-match series with Toledo last weekend, winning 3-1 last Friday. Freshman libero Francesca Bertucci was named the MAC West Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 5.29 digs per set against the Rockets. A full preview will be available on NIUHuskies.com later today.
 
Women's Basketball
Friday, October 29: Benedictine (Exhibition), 7 p.m. – Tickets | Live Stats
 
NIU Women's Basketball takes the floor Friday night against Benedictine University in exhibition action. The Huskies return 10 letterwinners from last season, including all five starters. NIU was the top three-point shooting team in the MAC in 2020-21, shooting 37.5 percent. Junior guard Chelby Koker earned All-MAC Second Team honors after leading the Huskies with 21.1 points and 3.75 assists per game. Redshirt-Senior guard Janae Poisson was named the MAC Sixth Player of the Year after leading the league in three-point percentage at 45.1 percent. Fans can attend Friday night's game for free with the purchase of a volleyball ticket for Friday's match.
 
Cross Country
Saturday, October 30: at Mid-American Conference Championship, hosted by Eastern Michigan, 11 a.m.
 
The NIU women's cross country team heads to Ypsilanti, Mich., to defend its Mid-American Conference championship this Saturday as Eastern Michigan hosts the 2021 MAC Championship meet at Eagle Crest Country Club. The Huskies have had three different runners lead the way in four regular season meets as Brooke Lytle, Katelyn Robbins and Sara Atkins have each been the highest-finishing Huskie at an event this season. Saturday's six-kilometer conference championship is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CT.
 
Men's Basketball
Saturday, October 30: St. Francis (Ill.) (Exhibition), 1 p.m. – Tickets | Live Stats
 
The Rashon Burno era gets underway on Saturday afternoon when the Huskies host St. Francis (Ill.) at 1 p.m. in their lone exhibition contest. NIU welcomes seven newcomers to the roster in 2021-22 while returning six players from a season ago, including senior Trendon Hankerson who averaged 13.9 points per game last season. Following Saturday's exhibition, the Huskies will open the regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at Washington.
 
#16 Men's Soccer
Saturday, October 30: #19 Akron, 2 p.m. – Live Video | Live Stats
 
The 16th-ranked NIU men's soccer team plays its final home game of the regular season on Saturday afternoon when the Huskies welcome 19th-ranked Akron to DeKalb. NIU is coming off a 2-1 overtime victory at Georgia State this past Saturday as Pepe Martinez scored both goals to push NIU's unbeaten streak to 12 games. The Huskies sit atop the Mid-American Conference standings on 11 points and can clinch the league's regular season crown with a victory on Saturday.
 
--NIU--