NIU volleyball will have a pair of matches against MAC East foes this weekend.

The Huskies (15-5, 4-2 MAC) will square off against Akron (4-15, 1-5 MAC) Friday and then will trek to New York to face Buffalo (9-11, 2-4 MAC) Saturday evening.

NIU has been nearly unstoppable as of late. During their recent homestand, the Huskies recorded back-to-back sweeps, giving them 11 on the season. NIU posted a .337 hitting percentage while limiting opponents to a .201 mark.

The surging offense has carried the team almost all season and head coach Ray Gooden stressed the significance of these cross-conference matches.

“It’s very important to do well against [the] other side, the East,” Gooden said. “It helps with tie-breakers [and] it helps with a whole bunch of those things. But, it also helps our team with our goals that we’re trying to achieve. It’s really important for us to go out there and give our best efforts against these teams.”

NIU has won the last seven meetings against Akron, and it will look to extend its three-match winning streak behind reigning MAC Offensive Player of the Week Lauren Wicinski, who recently became the 18th member of NIU’s 1,000-kill club.

Akron has had its fair share of struggles this season, but NIU should not look down on the Zips.

Akron snapped an 11-match losing streak last weekend against Kent State and all of its wins have come at home.

The Zips are led by senior outside hitter Courtney Jarvis. At only 5’9″, Jarvis leads the Akron’s attack with a team-high 3.11 kills per set.

Saturday’s match at Buffalo will be the second of back-to-back matches for both teams, as the Bulls host Western Michigan Friday.

The Bulls have had a forgettable season up to this point. Losing five of its last six matches, Buffalo looks to even up its overall record by taking advantage of home court, something it has struggled with so far.

Going just 3-4 at home this season, the Bulls have not won a home match since a 3-1 victory over Cornell Sept. 17. NIU boasts a 6-1 road record and has not lost to Buffalo since a five-set defeat in 2003.

The Huskies have a good track record against both of this weekend’s opponents, but going up against teams from the East can always present a challenge.

“I think teams from the East are a little bit bigger,” Gooden said. “They play more physical. They definitely have set schemes in how they play, where in the West, it’s not as physical when it comes to size. I think that our style of play meshes better with our side than it does on the East.”