Volleyball is looking to get back to its strengths of kills, attack percentage and service aces after it lost for the first time in 10 MAC games over the weekend.

The Huskies (16-8, 9-1 MAC) take on the Ball State Cardinals (13-10, 7-3 MAC) 6 p.m. Friday in Muncie, Ind., and the Toledo Rockets (1-22, 0-10 MAC) 4 p.m. Saturday in Toledo, Ohio.

The Huskies have had success on the road, winning nine of their 15 matches away from home.

After four-straight games against the MAC East division, including the Huskies’ first conference loss Saturday against Ohio, head coach Ray Gooden is excited to return to MAC West competition.

“… Doing well in our division is the most important thing,” Gooden said. “We know how what we must do in [our] division to be successful.”

Ball State

The Cardinals join the Huskies as one of two teams in the MAC West division with seven or more wins in conference play.

Ball State has collected a 4-1 record against divisional teams. Their lone loss came Sept. 27 at the hands of the Huskies.

Ball State came out of non-conference play struggling to win ballgames at 6-7, but more than a month later the Cardinals are over the .500 mark. Since they lost to the Huskies, the Cardinals have won six of eight games in conference play, including a 3-0 sweep of Bowling Green last weekend.

The last time these two met NIU earned a 3-0 victory with serving and offense behind 43 kills, a .382 attack percentage and six service aces.

The Huskies didn’t excel in those areas against Ohio on Saturday: They registered 34 kills, a .167 attack percentage and no aces.

“I think we just need to use this past weekend as a lesson and just learn from it,” said sophomore defensive specialist Malia Gabel. “Focus back on our side and get back to the roots of NIU volleyball, which is serving and ball control.”

Hayley Benson, Cardinals junior middle blocker and 2013 First Team All-MAC honoree, has been one of the most efficient hitters in the MAC, collecting a .374 hitting percentage through 90 sets, which is the second-best in the conference.

“I feel, especially after the loss, we are ready to go this weekend,” said freshman middle blocker Shelby Seurer. “These teams, we beat them once, but they’re going to give us their best every time because we’re NIU. So, I think … we’re ready to get these wins this weekend.”

Toledo

Toledo’s nightmare season has continued: The Rockets have lost 12-straight matches with six games ending as sweeps.

The last Toledo victory came Sept. 19 against the Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons.

NIU’s defense stood tall in the first meeting with Toledo Sept. 26, grounding the Rockets’ attack to a .067 attack percentage behind nine blocks.

“… It’s round two of division [play], and we know everyone is playing better,” Gooden said. The Huskies “play for significance, whether it’d be position in the tournament, to get into the tournament, seeding for the tournament and trying to win a championship. The difference for us this weekend is that we play these guys on the road, so they’re going to want to give us their best, and we’ve got to do our best to continue our level of success on the road.”