The Falcons will put their three-game winning streak on the line tonight when they travel to face No. 21 Ohio at 7 p.m.

The Bobcats (20-2, 10-0) have won 34 consecutive home matches, 26 straight Mid-American Conference matches dating back to last season and are the two-time defending MAC Champion.

But don’t try to convince University coach Denise Van De Walle that the underdog role is such a bad thing.

“I love it,” she said before Wednesday’s practice. “Nobody is expecting us to do anything, so we can just go in there and play our game. If we lose, then people will say we were supposed to. But if we win, it’ll be the biggest upset in the MAC in a long time.”

In addition to their current winning streak, the Falcons (14-9, 6-4) have also won six out of their last seven matches – four of which have come on the road.

According to Van De Walle, the Falcon’s stellar play of late can be attributed to their performance at the net.

The Falcons are third in the MAC, averaging 2.69 blocks per game. Kendra Halm leads the team and ranks fifth in the MAC with 1.25, followed by Stephanie Swiger, who is averaging 1.10.

Van De Walle said she has also seen a vast improvement in the team’s serving, and feels it will play a big role in how the Falcons perform this weekend.

“For us to compete with Ohio we have to keep doing what we’ve been doing really well lately, and that’s the serving the ball,” she said.

Van De Walle said she expects the Convocation Center to be a hostile environment.

“It’s Halloween weekend and that’s one of the biggest weekend’s of the year down there,” she said. “So, it’s going to be a lot of excitement … We know it’s going to be a tough match, but we’ll be ready.”

The Falcons will hit the road again tomorrow night to play Kent State (7-14, 3-7). The match is set to start at 7 p.m.

“Both of these matches are big for us … But I like the way we’re playing right now,” she said. “I think the team has a lot confidence and they’re focused on what they need to this weekend.”

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