It’s a homecoming of sorts for the Northwestern volleyball team this weekend, as it plays its first game in Evanston since Oct. 12 and its first game on its home court since Sept. 22.

The Wildcats return to Welsh-Ryan Arena tonight to take on Indiana (6-14, 3-9 Big Ten) and Saturday to play Illinois (15-5, 8-4).

NU (8-11, 4-8) has not played on the court since late September, when the process of fixing August flood damage began.

The Cats are hoping that their luck at home will be better than it’s been on the road. NU has lost every set of its last four away matches, dropping them into eighth place in the Big Ten.

“Being back at home really helps,” head coach Keylor Chan said. “We’re expecting good things this weekend.”

Chan is also hoping that a lineup change will help the Cats win. Sophomore defensive specialist Erica Knavel will replace sophomore Jill Fantozzi in the starting lineup tonight.

“We need someone with a better knack for digging balls,” Chan said. “Erica has been up and down this season, and she’s a little inconsistent. When she’s on, she’s great, and right now she has a lot of confidence.”

In an intense week of practice, Chan said the Cats have done “a little less teaching, and a lot more doing.”

NU, usually one of the best blocking teams in the Big Ten, blocked only one ball in its match at Ohio State last Saturday. To better last weekend’s performance at the net, the Cats altered their usual practice schedule this week to include a few more rigorous training drills.

“We usually don’t focus on blocking drills, but we did blocking every day this week,” junior middle blocker Sarah Ballog said. “Just because we’re good doesn’t mean we can’t be better.”

The Cats need to win seven of their next eight matches to qualify for the NCAA tournament.