Every team eventually has to decide when to stop building its program up and go for the gusto.

This might be that year for NIU volleyball. Head coach Ray Gooden has nine players returning from last year’s 18-14 team, including one of the nation’s top attackers, senior Meagan Schoenrock.

Factor in that Gooden has added seven newcomers, five of whom are six feet tall or above, as well as grabbing a defensive specialist from one of the most successful high school programs in the nation in Sue Hayes, and Gooden may have just found his recipe for success.

“We feel like we’ve got a pretty good core coming in,” Gooden said. “We’re excited about our recruits that are coming in as well. They bring size, experience, and a pedigree that they‘re going to push our team and hopefully get us to the point where [we’ve wanted to be.]”

The time is now for the Huskies to prove that they belong in the conversation with the best teams in the MAC, Gooden said. Returning Schoenrock and sophomore Allison McGlaughlin are the big reasons to look at this team and ask, “Why not?”

McGlaughlin blossomed in her rookie season, leading the team in aces and ranking second in kills. Add to that attack a setter in Kristin Hoffman, who traveled to Europe to compete with the National A2 team, selected from the 16 best players under 21.

While three MAC teams went to the NCAA tournament last year, NIU has tailored its schedule to allow for the possibility of an at-large bid. With matches against teams like Middle Tennessee State and Memphis, the Huskies are looking to position themselves for a tournament run.

“There are good teams to battle in our region,” Gooden said. “If we fare well against those teams, beat our in-state rivals, and do what we expect to do in the MAC this season, we stand a good chance of being one of the better teams.”

A possible postseason run is a possibility for NIU, as the team’s play has been at its best, and most exciting, near the end of the season. While the Huskies have yet to make a long tournament run under Gooden, he’s optimistic that he may finally have the right group of players to make that leap.

“I think our group was experienced, but not fully experienced,” Gooden said. “I think our group this year is a lot more experienced. I think our group now understands that in order to get to that spot, we have to be pretty forward thinking with what we’re trying to do. Other things in the periphery can’t get in our way.”

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