The tide is turning for the volleyball team after experiencing the worst start to a season since Head Coach Ray Gooden took over the program in 2002. After starting the season 0-11, the team has changed the course of its season because of the spike in the recent offensive production.

In their last five games, the Huskies (4-17, 3-3 Mid-American Conference) have gone 3-2 and won their sets a combined 13-10. This is a drastic change after starting their season with a 1-15 record and losing their sets a combined 46-8.

This turnaround can be attributed to a lot of different factors, such as the team entering conference play and no longer consistently playing nationally ranked teams. But, the biggest catalyst for their change in fortune is their uptake in overall offensive production.

This is something Gooden said would need to happen if they wanted to win more games.

“We need more offense,” said Gooden, according to a Sept. 11 Northern Star article. “We need to have more people involved in our offense so we can get [a] better balance.”

The need for increased offensive production was evident since the beginning of the season. The team lost four of their six leaders in kills from the 2016 season; outsider hitter Mary Grace Kelly, middle blockers Jenna Radtke and Lauren Zielinski and outside hitter Bri Horwath. These four players combined for 986 of the teams 1,427 kills, nearly 70 percent of the scoring production.

The development of freshmen outsider hitters Kaylee Martin and Jori Radtke was key to the team’s offensive progress.

Martin has played at a high level since the start of the season, while Radtke has recently increased her offensive production. Martin and Radtke are two of the team’s top three leaders in kills for the season so far.

Radtke is currently on a three-match streak in which she has played every set and tallied at least 10 kills in each match, including a career-high 14 kills Oct. 6 against the University of Toledo Rockets. Martin was named the MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week Oct. 9 after back-to-back double-double showings against the Rockets and the Ball State University Cardinals.

Even though the growth of the two freshmen is the easiest to notice, it’s taken a total team effort for the offense to improve.

“The cool thing right now [is] it’s not just one person [contributing],” said Gooden, according to an Oct. 9 Northern Star article. “Don’t get me wrong, Kaylee Martin is doing some great things with the way she’s playing, but I think everybody has to contribute for our team to be successful right now.”

The players from last year’s 2016 MAC Championship team had to adapt to expectations of higher offensive production this season, and they’ve adapted well. Five of their eight returning players have increased their kills per set average from last season.

This adjustment is why senior setter Chandler Kinley had a career-high 59 assists against the Bowling Green State University Falcons earlier in the season and is currently on a five-game, 40+ assist streak. The team needed time to gel and adjust to each other.

It appears as if the Huskies have made the necessary adjustments to have a successful conference run, but don’t expect them to take their foot off the pedal.

“We’re still working hard,” Kinley said. “I think going into practice every day with a positive mindset to get better, so that’s one thing that we’re working on.”

The Huskies will look to continue their recent streak of strong play in the last half of their current road trip against the University at Buffalo Bulls 5 p.m. Friday in Buffalo, New York.