When the NIU volleyball team takes on Akron at 7 p.m. today in Ohio, it will be a faceoff of two teams with identical conference records headed in different directions.

The Huskies (7-13 overall, 2-4 MAC) are in the midst of a three-match losing streak and are coming off a five-game loss to Oral Roberts.

Akron (10-8, 2-4) started off 0-4 in the MAC and has since gained momentum with wins over Buffalo and Miami-Ohio .

“They really are in the exact same place as us,” NIU coach Ray Gooden said. “It should be an even match. They just have more momentum right now.”

That momentum has been in part because of the rise in play from Akron freshman Jennifer Stewart. The outside hitter had 15 and 17 kills in the two wins en route to being named co-MAC player of last week.

Along with the offense from Stewart, the Zips’ defense has increased, holding their last two opponents to .108 and .057 hitting percentages.

“That team will fight you,” Gooden said. “They are not afraid of anybody and when they get it in their heads that they want to beat you, they want to beat you bad.”

One thing going for NIU is its play on the road, with four of its last five wins coming away from Victor E. Court.

One reason for this could be that NIU puts too much pressure on itself to perform in front of a home crowd, Gooden said.

But momentum or none, the Huskies must get better at the little things, NIU setter Marie Zidek said.

NIU had 26 service errors during its three game slide, with 11 of them coming against Oral Roberts.

“I know that I personally have to get better,” Zidek said. “But we have to start making our serves and winning the easy points. Those simple things are what have been the difference in our last few games.”

Despite the team’s recent outcomes, Zidek is still not giving up hope on her teammates and their season.

“We still have plenty of games to play,” the junior said. “It’s never too late to turn things around.”