In most instances, records and statistics are thrown out the door when there are two in-state rivals going at it.

That kind of competitive matchup is what the NIU women’s volleyball team can look forward to as it attempts to right the ship against the Western Illinois Westerwinds tonight in Macomb.

The Huskies are 2-5 and in the midst of a five-match losing streak after coming away winless last weekend at the University of Northern Iowa Invitational.

The Westerwinds are owners of a 3-4 record, and will look to build momentum in their first home game of the season. WIU is coming off of a strong two-win performance this weekend at the Holiday Inn Express Panther Challenge at Eastern Illinois.

Western Illinois is 20-12 all-time in home openers.

NIU has yet to win a match on the road and will be looking to gain some momentum by notching a win away from Victor E. Court.

“It’s a very, very important match to us, because it’s against an in-state rival,” said head coach Ray Gooden. “Western always plays with a lot of pride against us so we’re going to have to play very good volleyball to be successful.”

WIU has been piecing together its offense with a balanced attack this season after losing its top two attackers from last year.

Leading the Westerwind attack will be senior Monique Houston, who has 59 kills on the year. Houston totaled 334 kills last year, good enough to garner 2nd team All-Summit League honors.

Setting it up for Houston will be senior setter Sarah Trimpe. Trimpe has 227 assists on the year, averaging 7.83 per set, and is second on WIU’s all-time list.

Countering for NIU will be junior setter Amanda Tadla, who leads the Huskies in assists with 185 for an average of 10.28 per set. The Oak Lawn native will be key to the Huskies’ attack as she looks to distribute the ball to junior Meagan Schoenrock and freshman Allison McGlaughlin, who have 118 and 62 kills on the season, respectively. McGlaughlin has also recorded 12 aces.

NIU leads the head-to-head series, 14-10, including a sweep of the Westerwinds on Aug. 26, 2007.

“I think it’s really important,” Gooden said. “It’s really important for us to play consistently at a high level for a long period of time.”