DeKALB – In the midst of a win drought after opening weekend, the Huskies are off to the East Coast for their next chance at satisfying their thirst for victory.

The Huskies, still pursuing their first win, travel to North Carolina to play in the Wildcat Classic hosted by Davidson College. The four-team tournament also includes the University of North Carolina Wilmington and Queens University of Charlotte.

WORKING OUT DEFENSIVE WOES

In the two days of practice before beginning travel, NIU volleyball head coach Sondra Parys said the team placed a special emphasis on defense.

Specifically, the coaching staff worked with the NIU back court on their eye sequencing and with the middle blockers on “being a bit more locked in and knowing their responsibilities.”

“We need both (back court and middle blockers) to be able to work together a little bit better,” Parys said. “I think if we do that, we’re going to be able to defend better and be able to get more kills in transition, which is where we struggled this weekend.”

HOME, SWEET HOME

NIU’s’ two-day spell in North Carolina will simultaneously serve as a homecoming for two Huskies native to the Tarheel State. Senior opposite/outside hitter Emily Dykes and graduate student right side hitter Isabelle Percoco will return to their roots after spending their early volleyball days in Winterville and Charlotte respectively.

Though born in England, Dykes spent her high school days in Winterville, North Carolina, as a middle blocker/hitter at Ayden-Grifton High School.

Percoco will be competing roughly a 40-minute drive away from South Mecklenberg High School, where she played as a middle blocker, outside hitter and right side hitter. 

FRESH FACES IN LESS-TRAVELED PLACES

UNC Wilmington, Queens and Davidson will each serve as first-time opponents for NIU. The trio will join a short list of Division I North Carolina-based programs to have historically done battle with the Huskies.

NIU has played five matches against teams hailing from North Carolina. The most recent of those was a 3-0 victory against Campbell University in last season’s Popcorn Classic.

In addition to the infrequency of NIU’s clashes with North Carolina schools, NIU hasn’t made the eastbound trek to the state in over a decade. The Huskies last competed on North Carolina soil in Sept. 2010 when they delivered a clean sweep at the Elon Classic.

OLD FRIENDS AND FOES

Though the Huskies have to meet any of its upcoming opponents on the court, Parys is well acquainted with two of them – Queens and Davidson – from past coaching experiences.

Parys served as an assistant coach at Queens from 2016 to 2017, working under current Royals head coach Hannah Long.

The first-year head coach also frequently battled with Davidson during her five-year stint at Loyola University Chicago as part of their annual league battles in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

“They’re going to be tough, they’re going to be feisty,” Parys said of tournament host Davidson. “They’re usually a pretty scrappy, gritty team. I think we’ve just got to know we’ve got to come in and execute at a high level, but also be ready to play hard.”

THE WEEKEND AHEAD

NIU will play UNC Wilmington in the first round of the Wildcat Classic at 3 p.m. CT Friday. 

Saturday’s slate features back-to-back matches against Davidson (11 a.m. CT) and Queens (2:30 p.m. CT). All matches of the event will be played in John M. Belk Arena in Davidson, North Carolina.

Live statistics for all three matches will be viewable on SIDEARM Sports. NIU’s match against Davidson will also be streamed on ESPN+.