For setter Marie Zidek, it’s all about control. Who moves where, who gets the set, who gets the stats - Zidek thrives on controlling these aspects of volleyball. It’s control that gives her self-confidence on and off the court. For Zidek, life is...

The NIU volleyball team’s small squad was further depleted over the weekend with injuries to starters Megan Markowski and Laura Baetzel. Baetzel, a freshman outside hitter, was sidelined last week with shoulder tendonitis, while Markowski, a senior...

After two players went down to injury, the NIU women’s volleyball team went 0-3 this weekend at the Duke Invitational. Senior Megan Markowski (pain in her foot) and freshman Laura Baetzel (tendinitis in her shoulder) did not play either match of a doubleheader...

Fresh off a five-game home stand, the NIU volleyball team will begin its three-week road trip on the east coast with the Duke Invitational this weekend. The Huskies (2-3) begin the weekend against Towson at 4:30 p.m. today, with Saturday matches against...

Solid blocking and an efficient transition offense helped the NIU volleyball team end its three-game losing streak with a sweep of the University of Illinois-Chicago on Tuesday night. “We used Saturday night’s match as motivation,” NIU coach Ray...

Despite Tera Lobdell’s All-Tournament performance, the NIU women’s volleyball team went 0-3 over the weekend and finished fourth out of four teams. Hosting the Comfort Inn and Suites Invitational, the Huskies looked to test itself against strong non-conference...

In the season opener for the NIU women’s volleyball team, freshman Laura Baetzel got the starting nod - for the time being at least. Early Wednesday morning, coach Ray Gooden informed Baetzel of his decision to start her over freshman Amy Ward against...

A rowdy home crowd and 20 kills from Tera Lobdell helped NIU to a three-game sweep over Western Illinois Wednesday. The Huskies opened their season in front of a packed house of 585 with a 30-20, 30-21, 30-25 victory over the Leathernecks at Victor E....

Tera Lobdell didn’t think she had an accent. But when the tall, soft-spoken Minnesota native came to NIU her freshman year, she found out otherwise. “I didn’t think I had one, but everyone makes fun of me because I talk really slow, I guess,”...

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...

NIU volleyball coach Ray Gooden counts on a pair of freshmen to fill the spot of graduated outside hitter Brooke Dodson. Five-foot-11 Amy Ward and 5-foot-10 Laura Baetzel are the duo that has the task of replacing last year’s second leading hitter....

From the success of the football team to the futility of the men’s basketball squad, NIU sports saw their share of surprises during the 2003-’04 school year. The remaining 14 NIU sports were no different, as there were many individuals who emerged...