The NIU volleyball team gets no break this weekend after its win Wednesday over Eastern Michigan, the top-ranked team in the MAC.

With a four-game slide over and the win against EMU under their belts, the Huskies (8-14 overall, 3-5 MAC) go into this weekend trying to take down two more of the top teams in the MAC.

At 7 p.m. Friday, NIU will travel to Kalamazoo, Mich., to take on Western Michigan (10-9, 4-4), which is in fourth place in the MAC West but has lost three of its last four games.

“Western plays everybody so tough,” NIU coach Ray Gooden said. “They’re a scary team because of their physical attitude.”

NIU then gets back on the bus to go up against the MAC West’s No. 2 team, Ball State, at 7 p.m. Saturday. BSU (18-8, 6-1) will look to extend its season-high seven-match win streak.

With the win against EMU, the Huskies know this weekend could get them back on track and right in the thick of things in conference, Gooden said.

One of the keys to success will be how well NIU will be able to finish off games if it gets the lead close to the end.

“That’s something we’ve been trying to work on lately,” NIU libero Megan Sprangers said. “We have been concentrating on three things: hustling, our communication and our intensity. That intensity is what will help us pull out the wins.”

And wins is what NIU needs right now. With the MAC tournament just under a month away and half of its conference schedule still left to play, a big weekend for NIU could help gain some much-needed momentum, Gooden said.

“This weekend could be really big,” Gooden said. “This year, any team can win any night in the MAC, and so anything can happen.”