For the first time in the last four weeks, NIU women’s gymnastics will perform in a gym other than its own.

While there are notable benefits of being at home, Huskies coach Sam Morreale said this change is well welcomed as Bowling Green (1-7, 0-2 MAC) plays host.

“Our rotations will be a little different,” Morreale said. “Honestly, I think it will be a nice little break for us. The travel trips help make the team camaraderie a little tighter. We’re hoping to tap into some of that.”

The Huskies are come off a big come-from-behind victory against Ball State, their first MAC victory, and will look to continue that trend.

Morreale said the attitude of perseverance should apply in all situations, not only when NIU is down in the standings.

“You definitely want to get off to a good start on your first event, especially on the road,” Morreale said. “The goal is to put pressure on them from the first routine. The more we can hit in-a-row, the more pressure builds up on them.”

Heading into the road meet, Morreale looks to lean on his upperclassmen and the other gymnasts familiar with the road competitions, including junior captain Natalie Sutter.

“The sophomore and upperclassmen all have had experience, and we’re continuing with that,” Sutter said. “Freshmen have done an awesome job of stepping up and hitting routines.”

While the last meet featured season-highs in three categories, bars was once again a lower point. Sutter said the expectations should be set high for each meet from here on out.

“On the vault, beam and floor, the high scores should be expected from them,” Sutter said. “Bars we have a lot of room for improvement in. Once we get that going, we should be expected to hit all four routines every time.”