DeKALB | NIU’s volleyball team is going back to a time when Sisqo’s “The Thong Song” was topping the charts with its win over Western Michigan Thursday night.

For the first time since 2000, the Huskies won their first three conference games after their 3-1 victory over WMU.

NIU won its first two games 30-20 and 30-28, but the Broncos took Game 3 30-22. The Huskies took the match with a 30-27 victory in Game 4.

With the game tied at 7-7, a Mandi Caputo kill started a 7-1 run WMU couldn’t catch up to and took Game 1.

In Game 2, the Broncos took a 16-12 lead but three errors on WMU and a Kate McCullagh kill tied the game. The score was tied up again but a Laura Baetzel kill started a 5-1 run.

WMU countered with their own 7-2 run to tie the game at 28, but NIU closed out the game on an attack error by WMU.

At a 5-5 tie, the Broncos went on a 7-2 run and never let the Huskies come within six points of the lead to take Game 3.

NIU (10-5 overall, 3-0 MAC) found itself down 17-13 in Game 4, but eventually tied it up at 27. Two McCullagh kills and a WMU attack error closed out the game and match for NIU.

Middle blocker McCullagh set two career highs with 34 kills and a four-game hitting percentage of .483. Caputo had her fourth consecutive double-double with 58 sets and 11 digs. Sophomore defensive specialist Jody Hardwick, second in the MAC in aces-per-game, added to service aces.

Thursday night’s win marks the first time since 1997 NIU has defeated Central, Eastern and Western Michigan on the road.

On Saturday, Victor E. Court will see the top teams from the west and east MAC conference in NIU and Bowling Green at 7 p.m. Both teams remain undefeated in the conference. Bowling Green ranks in the top two in every statistical category in the MAC except for service aces.

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