DeKALB | NIU volleyball coach Ray Gooden knows what a 3-0 start in the MAC would mean.

But that won’t make Thursday’s game at 6 p.m. against Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, Mich. any easier.

“It’d be great to be in that position this early in the season,” Gooden said. “But we take it one match at a time.”

NIU (9-5 overall, 2-0 MAC) will have its hands full against a well-rounded WMU team.

The Broncos (11-5, 1-1) are ranked in the top five in the MAC in five statistical categories.

WMU is third in hitting percentage, assists per game, kills per game, and service aces per game. It also ranks fourth in opponent hitting percentage, holding other teams to .161 percent.

“We’re going to need a team effort to battle that team,” Gooden said. “They have multiple dimensions on offense and defense.”

Senior setter Jenifer Sulewski leads the Broncos. A second-team All-MAC selection last season, Sulewski is fourth in the MAC in assists per game with 12.31 and is coming off a career-high performance in kills with 14.

WMU’s lineup also features freshman libero Caitlin Strimel, who leads the MAC in service aces per game and senior outside hitter Kathryn Babcock, who is fifth in the MAC in points per game.

“They’ve had years of success,” Gooden said. “It’s going to be a big challenge for us.”

Andrew Hansen is the NIU volleyball beat reporter for the Northern Star.