DeKALB | They say home is where the heart is. For NIU’s volleyball team, it’s also where the band and fans are.

The Huskies returned home after a four-game road trip and defended their home court with a 3-1 victory over Ball State on Friday and a 3-0 win over Toledo Saturday.

The victories move the Huskies to 10-2 in the MAC and 17-7 overall. Their lead in the MAC West remains three matches over Central Michigan, who also won both of its weekend matches

“It’s great to be back home,” senior Kate McCullagh said. “We love the band so much, and the fans are just great at home.”

McCullagh tallied a match-high 31 kills and joined three other Huskies in double-digit kills as they beat Ball State 30-26, 30-28, 26-30 and 30-18.

Coach Ray Gooden was pleased with the job of McCullagh and the outside hitters, as well as the job Mandi Caputo did setting them up.

“Mandi set the ball up real well,” he said. “We just need to be able to pick our intensity up and keep it up.”

NIU was able to keep up that intensity against Toledo, winning 30-23, 30-24 and 30-18.

However, they did receive a little help from the Rockets, who committed 23 errors during the match.

“This is one of our most recent matches where we were able to capitalize on errors,” Gooden said. “We definitely had more energy than we did against Friday.”

McCullagh and Meagan Schoenrock led the Huskie attack, combining for 31 kills with 17 and 14 respectively.

Schoenrock, a freshman, is particularly excited about NIU’s success this season.

“It’s been so great mentally and physically,” Schoenrock said. “It’s so exciting to be on a team like this where we’re accomplishing all the goals we set for the season.”