Getting a taste of home, Iowa-native Carrie Blankenship welcomes Iowa to the Chick Evans Field House at 7 p.m. tonight.

Though she is from Cedar Rapids, don’t expect the 5‘ 9″ senior to be blowing kisses and handing out hugs for the Hawkeyes (3-16, 1-11 Big Ten) when they arrive in DeKalb.

Growing up in Iowa and attending Kennedy High School, Blankenship caught the eye of many during her prep days. However, Iowa wasn’t one of them.

“They never recruited me,” said Blankenship.

While she has gotten over that fact, this match could serve as a type of redemption.

“Being from Iowa, I’m sure that is sticking with her,” said NIU coach Todd Kress.

While many of her family and former coaches will be on hand to witness the game, Blankenship feels that there is a far greater meaning to this game then a personal vendetta.

“It’s a really big game,” Blankenship said. “Their [poor] record really doesn’t mean anything because you look at the conference they are in, one of the best in the nation. And you look at all the opponents they are facing and there are a lot of Top 25 teams. This is just a huge match.”

While the team would like to focus on conference matches, with this weekend holding two big ones in Ball State and Western Michigan, this win could bode well for the Huskies in regards to the NCAA selection committee when the tournament rolls around.

“We are not looking past Iowa,” continued Kress. “Sara Meyermann (6-foot senior outside hitter) is probably the best player that we’ve played against this season. This is a big game for us.”