As the women’s volleyball squad arrives in Wisconsin today to face the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and the University of Wisconsin, they will attempt to accomplish two feats.

Not only will they make an effort to increase a seemingly unsurpassable Mid-Continent Conference lead, but also give head coach Pete Waite the opportunity to record his NIU record tying 139th win at home on Tuesday.

On Friday UWM will play host to the Huskies in a match scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. In a meeting earlier in the season the Huskies dominated play as they walked over UWM in three games.

Saturday will see the Huskies square off against UWGB in the weekend finale in what hopes to be the Huskies second win in as many days before returning home to face another state powerhouse in Illinois Sate University.

Although Waite is unsure whether Kori Schauer (injured shoulder) will see any playing time this weekend, she will definitely be rested for ISU.

“I think we need to face this weekend just like any other weekend going into it,” assistant coach Jenelle Lantagne said. “We took (Wednesday) off from practice to let the girls catch up and to get things taken care of.”

As most conference games go for the Huskies this one won’t be a difficult task, but anything can happen on any given day. One thing sure to happen is that NIU will still go full force this weekend despite the need for a well rested, healthy team on Tuesday.

Conference play is definitely on the minds on the coaches and players, while the ISU game must sit idle in the back of their minds until Monday if they are to keep an undefeated conference ledger intact.

While it could prove unwise to just let this weekend unfold and prepare themselves for Tuesday, the Huskies have adopted a new plan of attack by using this weekend as a preparation for the midweek game. They are hoping this road trip will catapult them to victory over ISU.

“I think everyone realizes that Tuesday is going to be here before we know it, and the weekend is going to be a build up to that,” Lantagne added. “I think everyone is focused on playing really well this weekend and working the kinks out and really getting prepared for Tuesday.”

With Tuesday on their minds, it seems the matchup against the Redbirds could wind up being the most anticipated regular season match of the year. While the match has personal sentiments for almost everyone on the team, we need only wait until Tuesday when Waite gets his chance for another shot at an NIU record.

With a little luck and a lot of effort this could very easily become NIU’s most unforgettable volleyball season.