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...

During the recently completed spring season, the NIU volleyball team was missing three players - middle blocker Corinne Walsh, setter Kelly DeRoo and outside hitter Shara Parker. Walsh and DeRoo didn’t play because of low grade point averages, DeRoo...

Editor’s note: "The burning question" will examine issues in baseball and softball that have stood the test of time, but confusion still exists about a sure answer. The series will be run in place of road-game previews. Why is it called the foul pole...

The walls echo with the screams of the crowd and Adidas shoes screeching on the floor. The riot-gun sound of a volleyball being pounded to the floor adds to the noise, followed by teammates howling over the spike. And you can’t hear a single decibel....

A USA Today study estimated that St. Joseph’s point guard Jameer Nelson is worth $2 million to the university. Four years ago when Nelson came to St Joseph’s, the team had suffered through three straight losing seasons. Now, the No. 1 seed in the...

Every year, there’s a time where sports hits its low point and it seems like there’s nothing around to keep an eye on. It may come at different times for different locations across the country. Two weeks before the most anonymous Super Bowl in NFL...

NIU senior Lindsay Secrest leads the Huskies in points per game in 14 games this season. After practice earlier this week, Secrest was kind enough to take time to have a chat with the Northern Star. Northern Star: If you could model yourself after an...

For the second time in as many years, the NIU volleyball team’s season ended in a five-game loss. Last season, the Huskies had their season cut short by Western Michigan, a loss that prevented NIU from making the MAC tournament. The Huskies (20-11 overall,...

A repeat performance from earlier this season would be ideal for the Huskies volleyball team when it faces No. 3 Akron in the MAC tournament. NIU will take on Akron (16-12) at 3 p.m. today at Ball State‘s Worthen Arena. The Huskies (20-10) beat Akron...

For the third straight year, NIU outside hitter Tera Lobdell was named to the honorable mention All-MAC team Wednesday. Lobdell averaged 4.32 kills per game during the regular season for the Huskies. “Tera has matured a great deal from her sophomore...