When the Ball State volleyball team came to DeKalb last Friday, it might as well have rented a hotel.

The Cardinals are back at NIU at 7 p.m. today to play NIU in the first round of the MAC Tournament at Victor E. Court.

The eighth-seeded Huskies hope to have a similar outcome against ninth-seeded BSU as when they swept them just five nights ago.

In its two previous matches this season, NIU has come out on top.

“It’s not so much that this is our third meeting as it is our second in five days,” NIU coach Ray Gooden said. “We know each other well and once tournament time starts, anything can happen.”

The streaky Huskies ended a six-match losing streak by beating the Cardinals, and before that, they went on a five-match winning streak.

By winning both matches last weekend, NIU earned the home game tonight.

“It’s great for us to get the home match,” Gooden said. “It was nice to end that losing streak and now there’s only one streak left.”

The win also gives seniors Laura Baetzel and Mandi Caputo another chance to play in front of a home crowd.

“It’s always nice to play at home,” Baetzel said. “We have our own fans and can sleep in our own bed, so it’s nice to have home-court advantage.”

While the Huskies did sweep BSU, the Cardinals made many mistakes and could give NIU trouble if they correct them.

BSU committed 26 attacking errors and 6 service errors in the previous game.

“We need to keep playing how we’re playing,” Caputo said. “They’re going to come out stronger and we need to be ready.”