DeKALB | The NIU volleyball team begins play in the MAC Tournament, hosted by Toledo on Friday after earning a first-round bye for winning the MAC West.

They will open up the quarterfinals with their match against Toledo at 11:00 a.m.

Toledo, Ball State, Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan all won their first round matches to advance in the tournament.

“Those teams are hot right now,” NIU coach Ray Gooden said. “They all have one win under their belt already.”

Despite how much momentum those teams have, it will be a difficult task for any of them to beat Ohio.

The No. 18 Bobcats breezed through the MAC with a perfect 16-0 record. Ten of those wins were sweeps.

“I think everyone has a shot at winning the tournament, but Ohio is definitely the team to beat,” Gooden said. “Bowling green will also be tough. They’re having one of their best years in awhile.”

The Falcons have a No. 3 seed in the tournament and finished the season with a 13-3 MAC record. They are the only MAC team to take Ohio to five games this season.

Fifth-seeded Western Michigan and No. 6 seed Ball State are two of the hottest teams entering the tournament. Western Michigan won its last five matches and will face No. 4 seed Miami in the quarterfinals.

Ball State is working on winning its seventh match in a row, but will have its hands full against Bowling Green.

Should the Huskies defeat Toledo, they would play the winner of the Bowling Green-Ball State game. Gooden said the team can’t afford to lose focus on the match at hand.

“We need to worry about Toledo first,” Gooden said. “We’ll worry about the rest when we get there, but we can’t look past that first game.”