After starting the season 2-0, the NIU gymnastics team has since dropped five in a row.

“We feel the same as we did in the first meet,” sophomore Kelly Kramer said. “It’s our work ethic that has changed. We realized that we needed to make the extra effort.”

Saturday’s matchup against Wisconsin-Whitewater (1-8) and host Illinois State (2-12) at 7 p.m. is that chance for the Huskies to make the extra effort.

“We need to get focused on performing, not competing against ranked teams,” NIU coach Mark Sontag said.

Neither ISU or UWW have garnered a point total that beats the Huskies’ season low of 190.450. Illinois State’s season high is 190.275, while the Whitewater total is only a 175.5.

Despite this chance to rest their top performers, the Huskies (2-5) want as many opportunities as they can get to perform.

“We need to hit, the best way to do that is just get out there and do it,” Kramer said.

With that mentality, the Huskies will be starting a line-up very similar to the one they took to New Hampshire when they competed with two of the nation’s top-25 teams.

“It’s a tough situation,” Sontag said. “You want more girls to gain experience, but we need a pretty good road score coming into the stretch run.”