After an off-season filled with fervor and anticipation, NIU women’s volleyball is set to host the NIU Invitational to kick off its season.

The Huskies have won six straight matches in the invite after sweeping the event last year. NIU’s last loss in the invitational was against Southern Illinois University in 2009.

With NIU opening its tournament against Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, who is coming off an 8-22 season, the Huskies are maintaining that every match is its own.

“What people don’t realize is that they’re a very good team,” said NIU head coach Ray Gooden. “They were a young team last year, and they always play extremely hard. They’re a team that will put you under pressure if you don’t do what you’re supposed to do.”

This year’s event will showcase some of the top talent in the nation, including the University of Northern Iowa, who is ranked 14th according to the AVCA Coaches preseason poll.

The Panthers finished last season undefeated in the Missouri Valley Conference and had a winning streak of 25 matches before finishing the regular season 30-2.

The NIU Invitational will also host the 18th ranked Iowa State Cyclones, who finished last season with a 20-8 record while going 13-6 in the Big 12.

Another program coming off of a tremendous 2010-11 campaign is Cincinnati. The Bearcats finished 30-6 last season, recording a 13-1 record in the Big East. Cincinnati is projected to finish third in their conference this year.

Gooden was quick to mention that the style of play from the top-tier teams is challenging.

“I think Cincinnati, Northern Iowa and Iowa State are all physical teams,” Gooden said. “They’re very physical with what they do and they also play well at a consistent level. All of the teams here have the same style of play in a sense. It’s just a matter of how we execute.”

Gooden also preached that the main goal for the weekend is to get his team to play well together. In order to do so, he believes NIU needs to stick to the basics: serving and passing.

Defensive specialist Sue Hayes also understands the importance of taking one match at a time and keeping things simple out of the gate.

“We’re just trying to come together as a team,” Hayes said. “We will work hard and have fun out there.”