Vince Lombardi described it best when he said winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.

So far this fall season NIU’s sports teams haven’t had much success fulfilling that statement.

Oh, wait a minute. We do have one team on a roll. Yep, the volleyball team is our lone representative with a winning record, and it can attain much more.

After winning seven in a row within the conference, things are looking even brighter than expected. A 10-4 record isn’t the nation’s best, but it’s by far NIU’s best.

It’s much too early to talk about a Mid-American Conference championship. I’m an optimistic person and think the team has what it takes to achieve its goal of winning the MAC because of a few things.

First and foremost, the Huskies have a very balanced attack.

With Carrie Blankenship out for this weekend, Daren Poe and Amanda Newlin will step up in her place as they did last week, proving the depth of this team.

Every player on the team has contributed well when given the time, and no one player is standing out as a bona fide superstar. It’s just 12 women who play team volleyball.

They also have a spectacular coach who knows how to motivate his players.

Todd Kress reminds me of Phil Jackson on the bench — never scream or yell or look worried in any game. Kress and Jackson let their teams show their talent.

The main thing the Huskies are showing right now is what every championship caliber team shows, and that is how to win on the road.

The Huskies began their conference schedule with seven of their first nine on the road. After losing the first two, they have won five in a row, quite impressively.

However, a win is a win. Regardless of where the game is played, the team still expects to win. Being road warriors, though, can’t make the Huskies feel too good about themselves. Winning on the road doesn’t impress people unless you can also be dominant at home.

This weekend begins a stretch of eight straight home matches, and nine of 10. As of right now, Chick Evans Field House has been comfortable to the Huskies as they are 4-1. However this weekend is where the true test begins for NIU.

If this team is a conference contender it will put aside what it’s done up to this point and start the season all over. Nine home games are huge for this team right now.

Winning seven or eight of these games will probably put the Huskies in good shape within the conference and will help them try to attain another one of their goals, which is to host the conference tournament.

Winning on the road is key, but I believe the Huskies true test begins this weekend. They already have established themselves as one of the conference’s elite with the recent road play. Now they need to make an even bigger statement, by dominating any team that comes into the fieldhouse.

The task doesn’t seem too difficult to me, I think they can do it. Proving it to everyone else however, is what this team really needs to do.