Denver is supposed to give its sports teams an edge over their competitors; at least that is what most of the media says about the mile-high city.

Many point out that visiting teams are not used to the conditions and demands of the higher elevation, but you won’t find many believers on the NIU volleyball team, who play in the Denver Invitational this weekend.

“It’s not going to be a factor,” coach Ray Gooden said.

Junior libero Gina Guide agrees with her coach.

“I don’t think it’s going to affect us at all,” Guide said. “I’ve played in Colorado and Utah before and it had no affect on me.”

While the altitude may not affect the Huskies, playing three teams they have never seen could prove to be an issue.

In preparation, the coaching staff watched video of the upcoming opponents and then practiced against the Huskies as if they were the competition.

“It was a good job of scouting and getting information,” said Gooden, who played for Ohio State.

“We focused mostly on Montana,” Guide said. “We’ll worry about the other two teams later.”

NIU will face Montana in the first match Friday, with Portland and Denver to follow Saturday.

The team is coming off of a weekend where multiple players helped propel the Huskies to their first tournament win since 2003.

In order to pull off another tournament victory, the Huskies will have to play more than a one-dimensional game, Gooden said.

“We talked a lot about how we can’t just be a one-person team,” Gooden said. “A lot of people will be called upon to step up.”

Gooden wasn’t so worried about the elevation as he was his team’s level of play. For Gooden, the Huskies’ fate will lie in their own hands this weekend.

“We have to consistently play at a high level in order to win,” Gooden said.