After 12 years away, Pete Waite returns home Tuesday to a new court and sideline.

The Huskies’ winningest coach of all time will stand with the University of Wisconsin-Madison players as their head coach when the teams square off at 7:30 p.m. tonight on Victor E. Court.

“I’m excited,” Waite said. “I spent 11 years [in DeKalb]; both my sons grew up there and made a lot of friends. A good number of [alumni] stay in contact with me. I expect some of the great Northern alum, eight or 10 them will be there for the match. It’s neat to see them coming back, to be there at Northern, but also to greet me back.”

During his tenure from 1988-98, Waite racked up 266 wins and 102 losses. He helped lead the Huskies to eight conference wins and three NCAA appearances.

“Pete [Waite] without a doubt made a significant mark at Northern with his time as a coach,” said NIU head coach Ray Gooden. “I think he helped put a high standard for volleyball at NIU.”

Gooden in his ninth year as head coach will face the Badgers (9-0) for the first time, as 1995 was the last year the two teams met. Wisconsin came away on top 3-0 in that match and leads the all-time series 18-4.

But the history between the Badgers and Huskies (11-0) is not the focus for Gooden’s team, he said.

“We’re going to go out there looking to have a great experience,” Gooden said. “The history is one thing, but this 2010 match is its own separate chapter. That’s how we approach it. That’s how we are going to attack it.”

The Huskies and Badgers look to end each other’s perfect season, in what both head coaches are saying should be an athletic and high energy match.

“I expect one thing they’ll learn is being in the environment at [Victor E. Court] is very high energy,” Waite said. “To go into an opponent’s gym like that and deal with the crowd and the band is a great experience for [the players].”

Though the Huskies may be taking on a Big Ten school, the teams have similarities. “I think they’re pretty physical; we can be pretty physical,” Gooden said. “Both teams are fairly young and athletic. Both teams have been striving to make a significant mark on their own particular landscapes but also on the volleyball landscape on the whole. We don’t treat it as a David versus Goliath type thing. It will be two teams going out there to play a volleyball match.”