Twenty wins is just not enough for NIU volleyball coach Ray Gooden – only a conference championship will do.

After a second-round loss to Akron in last season’s MAC tournament, the Huskies have high expectations to improve on their 20-11 record and win the conference this year.

“Twenty wins is great, but it doesn’t get you to play in December,” the third-year coach said. “And nothing else really matters until we do that. The expectations have to be high.”

The Huskies will kick off their season against Western Illinois at 7 p.m. today at Victor E. Court in the Convocation Center.

NIU returns seven letter winners, including three-time All-MAC performer Tera Lobdell. Lobdell, a senior outside hitter, finished third in the conference in kills last year and set an NIU single-season record with 492.

The trio of senior Megan Markowski, junior Corinne Walsh and sophomore Kate McCullagh will return to anchor the middle-blocker position. All three players averaged at least 1.08 blocks per game last season and finished in the top 15 in the MAC in blocks. Blocking will be a team strength, Gooden said, and should result in more opportunities to score points.

Junior Marie Zidek, a former libero and now a full-time setter, will run the Huskies offense once again after finishing fourth in the conference with 1,411 assists a year ago.

Incoming freshmen Amy Ward and Laura Baetzel will compete for the outside-hitter position vacated by graduated seniors Brooke Dodson and Amanda Newlin. Gooden said the two newcomers will see significant playing time in the position, even though their natural position is middle blocker.

“Neither one is a true left-side hitter,” Gooden said. “They are being asked to step out of their box and embrace a new role and they are doing a pretty good job of it.”

With a relatively small group of nine players, team size was sacrificed in exchange for a greater sense of chemistry, Gooden said.

“Every team member has an important role to fill,” Zidek said. “We all get along on the court, and the freshmen have already fit in real well. Everyone is focused on working hard and winning.”

Injuries are a concern with smaller teams, but Lobdell thinks the versatility and conditioning of the team will prevail.

“We have a couple players who can play different positions,” Lobdell said. “But when it comes to serious injuries at key positions, we’re crossing our fingers.”

Defending MAC Champion Ohio is predicted to win the East Division, while Ball State is the favorite in the West Division in the pre-season conference coaches’ poll. NIU is predicted to finish third in the West after compiling an 8-8 conference record last season.

The Huskies will face several stiff tests at the beginning of the season, most notably upcoming matches against top 20 teams, Washington and Northern Iowa.

“Not to sound cliché, but every match is important and has some significance,” Gooden said. “If we want to be the championship team we are aspiring to be, we have to be very good from beginning to end, no matter who we play.”