The NIU wrestling team will be able to show off its skills at Chick Evans Field House for the first time since Northwestern visited DeKalb back in December.

Illinois State will be only the second team this season to wrestle NIU at home. After being on the road for more than three months, the 2-15 Huskies are ready to seek revenge against the Redbirds after losing to them in a close 30-24 match earlier in the year.

That inaugural meeting went into the heavyweight match tied at 24-24, but NIU was forced to forfeit the match. Head coach Ed Vatch hopes tonight’s match doesn’t end the same way.

“We are pretty much even down the lineup,” Vatch said. “With their forfeits and our forfeits, it should be another tight match, but we might have the edge being at home. We have some guys who didn’t wrestle well last time, and they know it and want to redeem themselves,” Vatch added.

The feature match should be Courtney Pitter wrestling at 177 pounds. Pitter will be trying to repeat his 8-point victory over ISU’s former state champion the last time they met.

Another match to watch is the 158-pound class, where T.C. Dantzler wrestles. Dantzler has scored two pin victories over his Redbird counterpart, but both matches have been intense.

The Huskies will close their season and the home stand on Friday, when they host Western Michigan at noon.