NIU athletics had a big Homecoming weekend.

And when I say big, I’m not talking about the score deferential between the Huskies and the Rockets. Though the football team walked away with its 10th Homecoming win in the last 11 tries, NIU’s volleyball and men’s soccer teams also left the weekend with home victories.

Women’s soccer also pulled off a win and a draw on the road.

What more could a Huskie fan ask for? Every big fall season team came away with Homecoming wins. The teams made our alumni proud.

Homecoming is already a time for celebration, but celebrating after the school goes undefeated during the weekend is huge for building school spirit. Every win played a part in bringing the campus together.

The women’s soccer and volleyball teams got the winning started with victories over Buffalo Friday night. The Huskie volleyball team came away with another home win, as the women’s soccer team beat the Bulls in New York to tally the team’s third straight win.

Men’s soccer kept the ball rolling on Saturday with a 2-1 double-overtime win against Hartwick, in a match held right in the middle of the NIU football tailgate.

After the match, fans headed to Huskie Stadium to see the football team compete in the weekend’s main event. And fans were not disappointed, as they watched NIU pound Toledo in a 38-7 Homecoming win.

The victory spoke loud to fans who watched the heartbreaking game last year, where the Huskies failed to go 10-for-10 in recent Homecoming match-ups.

But all was put behind the team as the Huskies went up 21-0 in the first half and never looked back.

I attribute the win to Jerry Kill, NIU head football coach, and his plan to pump the team up during the week’s practices.

During Thursday’s scrimmage, Kill had his staff post the score from last year’s 70-21 loss to Toledo on the scoreboard. I’m sure that looking up at the score put a fire under the team, leading them to a dominating MAC win on Saturday.

After the win, fans were invited to see the volleyball team play its second match of the weekend at Victor E. Court Saturday night.

The team kept the winning alive by sweeping Akron in three sets to put their home record at 10-2. Junior Meagan Schoenrock came through on the last kill to end Saturday’s festivities.

On Sunday, the women’s soccer team ended the weekend with a draw against Kent State in Ohio. Though the 1-1 contest wasn’t a win, it wasn’t a loss either.

The draw is equivalent for half a win, and put the Homecoming weekend record at 5-0-1.

What a Homecoming weekend it was in DeKalb. The Huskies defended their campus and pulled off wins in every home contest. NIU also dominated on the road for another victory.

Like I said before, what more could a fan ask for?

Coming into Homecoming, we all hoped for the best. And the best is exactly what we got.