Volleyball finishes its season-long 14-match, 23-day roadtrip this weekend with the opening of MAC play.

The Huskies (9-7) will take on Central Michigan (6-5) Friday and Eastern Michigan (10-6) Saturday.

“It has been a grind, but we are getting a lot of experience from the road trip,” said coach Ray Gooden.

The Huskies are looking for revenge against the Chippewas as they went 2-1 against them last season, but that one loss came in the MAC tournament. NIU was ranked number one and was the favorite to win the MAC tournament; Central Michigan was ranked sixth.

NIU leads the all-time series over Central Michigan, 26-20.

“Central is a rival for us and it is in their gym, so we have to come out strong against them,” said senior Mary Kurisch. “We have to come out even stronger due to it being at their gym, and they are going to be excited to play at home. We have to stay focused and can’t get up then down. We can’t ride a roller coaster…we need to be solid during the match.”

In order to be successful this weekend, the Huskies will need to be consistent on both sides of the ball.

“We need to work really hard on our serving and our passing to do well this weekend,” Gooden said. “We really need to use our defense for our advantage. Mainly in practice we are working on staying consistent throughout our matches.”

The Huskies own a 27-18 edge in the all-time series against EMU and have won seven of the last eight meetings.

“We have to maximize our opportunities during the match,” Gooden said. “Whether it be when we serve or when we are in transition, we have to maximize those opportunities.”

Coming off a win over Bradley in its previous match, NIU will go into this weekend’s matches feeling confident.

“Winning the previous match always gives us momentum, especially when you beat them on their home court,” Kurisch said. “It gives you confidence, but when a team is at home they play extra hard so we will need that confidence.”