Tera Lobdell made sure that her first memory of the new Victor E. Court at the Convocation Center was an enjoyable one.

Lobdell, who led NIU with 354 kills last season, finished the match with eight kills while committing only one error in 12 attempts.

With the Huskies posting a low .113 hitting percentage, Lobdell had a .583 percentage.

“We hit balls into the blocks and out of bounds,” Lobdell said. “When you play those types of teams, you need to put the balls in.”

Lobdell’s percentage was an improvement from her first action this season when she had 11 kills to go with a .216 hitting percentage against Loyola.

“It was great for Tera to get back out there,” NIU coach Ray Gooden said. “She played like Tera Lobdell can play. That is a very good thing to see.”

Aside from her duties at the net, Lobdell also handcuffed the Cougars with three serving aces.

NIU posted a 24-6 record last season with a healthy Lobdell as she won the MAC Freshman of the Year honor.

This season, Lobdell started out injured and didn’t play until the fifth game as the Huskies posted a 2-2 record without her.

In her home debut, she helped NIU snap a three-game losing streak. The streak is the longest the Huskies have experienced since 1999, in a 32-30, 30-23, 30-28 victory against a 2-8 Chicago State University team at the new Victor E. Court Tuesday night.

Gooden thinks the team will get better as Lobdell gets better.

“I think it really helps having [Lobdell] on the floor,” Gooden said. “But we just couldn’t put her in any earlier just because we didn’t want to rush it. I think she is doing okay.”

“It is really tough to watch your team,” Lobdell said. “I was glad to finally get back in there and contribute like I did last year, but I just don’t think that we played as well as we should have.”

Lobdell also had five digs, a block assist and an assist.

When talking about what it was like to play at the Convocation Center compared to the Chick Evans Field House, she liked what she saw in her first action.

“I really liked it,” she said. “It feels like the crowd is more into the match and they are a lot closer.”