The NIU volleyball team had its chances Thursday, but couldn’t pull out a win as it lost 25-30, 28-20, 30-32 to Western Michigan at Victor E. Court.

The Huskies (12-16 Overall, 4-9 MAC) dropped their fifth straight conference game as they were swept for the third consecutive time. With the win, WMU improved to 16-8 overall and 9-5 in the MAC.

Middle blocker Kate McCullagh and outside hitter Amy Ward lead the Huskies with 15 kills each, a career high for Ward.

“I want to help the team; I want us to win,” Ward said about her performance. “We don’t work hard for [coach] Ray [Gooden], we don’t work hard for the fans, we work hard for each other.”

The Huskies had their chances, like a 27-24 lead in game three against the Broncos but couldn’t close out the game. Gooden knows that inability has been starting to affect his team.

“Our team knows it, fans know it, parents know it, everybody knows it,” said Gooden. “We just got to make that play, win the game, and run to the other side, and take that monkey off our back.”

The Huskies will be back in action Saturday night at Victor E. Court against Miami-Ohio at 7 p.m.