The schedule keeps getting tougher for gymnastics as it welcomes No. 16 Central Michigan to DeKalb.

The Huskies (5-5, 2-3 MAC) will face the Central Michigan Chippewas (9-2, 3-1 MAC) at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Convocation Center. The Chippewas have emerged as one of the best teams in the conference this season, with their only MAC loss to Kent State.

Head coach Sam Morreale said the Huskies need to have some of their best performances in order to beat the Chippewas.

“In order to chase down our goals, we need everybody to step up,” Morreale said. “Everybody that can contribute has to have career highs, [season] highs, those kind of things.”

Central Michigan, which averages a 195.55, is coming off its second-highest score of the season — a 196.425 — against Illinois and Ohio State Sunday. It took second in the three-team meet behind the Illini.

The Chippewas are led by Brittany Petzold, Kirsten Petzold and Becca Druien. Druien scored a 39.125 in her last outing and has had consistently strong performance throughout the season; however, she has struggled on bars in the past.

Brittany Petzold, who scored a 38.325 in that same meet due to a poor outing on bars, is just as high scoring. Her season best is a 39.225, which gives her the second-highest conference score this season.

Kirsten Petzold is the MAC’s top vaulter and is ranked ninth in the region. In her last meet, she scored a 9.925, which tied her season best.

For NIU, meeting the goal of 194 won’t be enough to knock off Central Michigan. The team was on pace for a 195 in the State of Illinois Classic, which means a 195 isn’t out of reach this weekend. The Huskies will need to hit 24 for 24 to beat the Chippewas.

“We just need to step up and do it,” Morreale said. “The capabilities are there. Now it’s just a matter of actually doing it. We’re just going go do our stuff, [Central Michigan] is going to do [its] stuff. Do we know they’re a good team? Yes. So we’re going to bring our A-game. We’re going to bring the best that we can to all four events and chop away at them as much as we can.”

The Huskies have been on the cusp of reaching 194 for the last several meets, which is something sophomore Jaelyn Olsen said has the team motivated.

“It’s hard because we were been so close,” Olsen said. “I think we’ve been practicing, just focusing on every detail and landings, just getting one step better. Hopefully, we’ll put it all together.”