With six Huskie teams in competition this week, there are plenty of opportunities to join in on the action! Huskie fans have chances to see men’s and women’s hoops or wrestling at home this week but can follow along via live stats or live video for the teams who are the road.
Football
Wednesday, Nov. 16: at Western Michigan – ESPNU | Live Audio | Live Stats
The NIU Football team plays its final road game of the regular season on Wednesday night when it takes on Western Michigan. Kickoff is at 6 pm with the game broadcast on ESPNU. The Huskies rallied from 21 points down last week to get within six points, 28-22, early in the fourth quarter on an Izayah Green-May 57-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Freshman quarterback Nevan Cremascoli threw for 158 yards and two touchdowns in his first career game as Harrison Waylee added a game-high 136 rushing yards. A full preview is available on NIUHuskies.com.
Men’s Basketball
Nov. 7: vs. Illinois Springfield, 7 p.m. – ESPN3 | Live Audio | Live Stats
Nov. 11: at Northwestern, 7 p.m. – BTN+ | Live Audio | Live Stats
The NIU men’s basketball team opens the 2022-23 season at home on Monday night, Nov. 7, when the Huskies host Illinois Springfield. Tipoff against the Prairie Stars in the season opener is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the NIU Convocation Center. The Huskies will hit the road for the first time on Friday night, Nov. 11, when they travel to Northwestern for the first meeting with the Wildcats since 2010. Last Monday (Oct. 31), NIU topped McKendree in its lone exhibition, 79-76. Keshawn Williams led the way with 23 points while Zarique Nutter added 19 points in the win.
Women’s Basketball
Monday, Nov. 7: at Notre Dame, 6 p.m. – ACCNX | Live Audio | Live Stats
Saturday, Nov. 12: vs. DePaul, 1 p.m. – Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats
The NIU women’s basketball team opens its 2022-23 season at Notre Dame tonight. The Huskies were picked fifth in the MAC Preseason Coaches Poll with a pair of preseason All-MAC selections in forward A’Jah Davis and guard Chelby Koker. NIU earned an 88-61 win over Loras in exhibition action at the NIU Convocation Center last Saturday. The Huskies made 15 three-pointers and shot over 50 percent from long distance. Janae Poisson made four threes and scored a game-high 17 points. The Huskies will see a familiar face on the Notre Dame bench in NIU Hall of Famer Carol Owens, who is the associate head coach of the Fighting Irish. A full preview will be available on NIUHuskies.com later in the week.
Volleyball
Friday, Nov. 11: at Eastern Michigan, 6 p.m. – ESPN3 | Live Stats
Saturday, Nov. 12: at Eastern Michigan, 4 p.m. – ESPN3 | Live Stats
The Huskies look to make a final push for a bid to the 2022 MAC Volleyball Tournament this weekend with two key road matchups against Eastern Michigan. NIU most recently split its series with Central Michigan this past weekend – NIU dropped Friday’s match in four sets but amended things Saturday with a straight set sweep of the Chippewas at Victor E. Court. Francesca Bertucci had herself a weekend as the libero/defensive specialist averaged seven digs-per-set and eclipsed 1,000 career digs before her second-year campaign could come to an end. Thanks to her stellar play, Bertucci was named the MAC West Co-Defensive Player of the Week.
Wrestling
Saturday, Nov. 12: Huskie Duals – Facebook Stream | Trak Wrestling
The Huskies kickoff their home slate by hosting Harper College and Lindenwood in the annual Huskie Duals this weekend. Last weekend, NIU had strong performances across the board at Michigan State Open – Izzak Olejnik led the way, bringing home the 165 Open title after earning a 6-2 decision over Danny Braunagel (Illinois) in the championship bout. Likewise, Blake West took home a third-place finish at 125 and Jaivon Jones took fifth at 141. In the Freshman/Sophomore division, Jacob Brya wrestled his way to second place at 141 and Brody Hallin earned third at 149. Tommy Bennett secured fourth at 165 and Shane Moran finished third in the 174 weight-class. Finally, Carter Grewe placed third at 184 to put a bow on NIU’s day.
Women’s Tennis
Friday-Sunday, Nov. 11-13: at Bronco Super Challenge, Kalamazoo, Mich. (Sorenson Courts/West Hills Athletic Club)
The NIU women’s tennis team wraps up the fall tournament season at the Bronco Super Challenge in Kalamazoo, Michigan this weekend. Huskies Erika Dimitriev, Angelica Ross, Isabella Righi and Nataly Miroslavova Ninova will take on opponents from Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Oakland, Cleveland State, Notre Dame, Milwaukee and Wayne State. Dimitriev and Ross won the doubles title at the Huskie Fall Indoor Invitational October 29, where all four Huskies also went undefeated in singles.