After a long offseason, the Northern Illinois University volleyball team is back in action this Saturday at 3 p.m. when they host the University of Northern Iowa Panthers in an exhibition game at Victor E. Court. The match is open to the public with free admission.
Head Coach Ray Gooden, who enters his 21st season at the helm, see’s this exhibition match as an opportunity to face off against an experienced team prior to their full slate of matches.
“I think the biggest thing will be the opportunity to compete against someone else,” said Gooden.
“We’ve gone through two weeks of volleyball and gotten better as a group. So, it’ll be a good opportunity for us to do a dress rehearsal of what we’ve been practicing so far,”
The Huskies’ 2022 roster includes six upperclassman, six sophomores and a trio of freshman. The team returns seven athletes with starting experience under their belts. Plus, Gooden added two transfer student-athletes in Sammi Lockwood (Notre Dame) and Emily Dykes (Radford) who bring even more live-game experience to the squad.
“We’ve made some additions that will help us and we have a lot of players that return with game experience who better understand what we’re looking for and what we’re trying to do. I think the combination of the two helps us have a good starting point. It’s time for us to put in the work and continue to get better each day.”
The Huskies’ first regular-season competition of 2022 will be at the annual Huskie Invitational where they’ll face South Dakota State and NJIT on Friday, Aug. 26. They’ll conclude the tournament the following day when they square off against UIC.
Season Tickets start at $30 in the general admission. A Huskie Four-Pack is available at $22.50 per ticket, with a minimum of four season tickets purchased. New for the 2022 season is the addition of 20 courtside seats on the south side of Victor E. Court. For $180, which includes a season ticket and Premium Seat License, Huskie fans will have a chance to experience NIU Volleyball like never before for less than $13 per match. All orders have a $5 handling fee. To purchase, click on the following link.