For the first time in three weeks, NIU gets to be the home team when they take on Chicago State (6-8) at 7 p.m. today at Victor E. Court.

After a nine-match road trip in which the Huskies (4-10) went 2-7, home will be a welcome sight.

“We need to get back to playing good volleyball and this could be the thing to do it,” coach Ray Gooden said. “[The road trip] was one of our poorest showings of the year at times, but it all can get turned around at home.”

Fresh off of breaking the NIU all-time kills record, MAC kill leader Tera Lobdell cannot wait to play at home and try to get NIU back on track.

But standing in NIU’s way is the Mid-Continent Conference’s own kills leader, Stacey Cole.

“This is probably one of Chicago State’s best teams ever, so they are going to be a challenge for us,” Gooden said. “We are going to have to leave it all on the court tonight.”

One thing Gooden hopes Victor E. Court can bring back is a consistent third hitter which was lacking much of the road trip, Gooden said.

“We need to get more contributions,” Gooden said. “Right now we have no set third hitter. Every game it’s a different person and what I am looking for is just that one person to step up.”

Sophomore, Kate McCullagh, has tried to lighten the load for Lobdell this season as she has established herself as a force in the middle. The only thing she has to keep getting better at is consistency, Gooden said.

Consistency has not been an issue with Lobdell. No. 13 averaged 5.59 kills per game en route to 190 kills on the road trip.

“She has been playing so well,” Gooden said. “And breaking the record is what she can show for it. That is such a milestone and I don’t think she has really grasped what she has done yet. And she may never really grasp what an accomplishment that is.”