Northwestern University Athletics
Volleyball Ends Home Season This Weekend
11/15/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 15, 2001
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern (8-15, 4-12 Big Ten) will host the final games of the 2001 season this weekend as Minnesota and Iowa come to Welsh-Ryan Arena. With no seniors on this year's team, it will not be a farewell occasion but a glimpse of the future.
The Wildcats are looking to end an eight-match losing skid and post double-digit wins for the first time since 1998. Two more Big Ten victories will give NU its highest conference win total since 1993.
In this week's national statistics, sophomore middle blocker Erika Lange (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) has jumped up to 14th in blocking average with 1.53 per game. As a team, NU is 24th nationally, blocking 2.92 attempts per game.
Minnesota (17-9, 9-7 Big Ten) spent much of the season ranked among the top 25 in the USAToday/AVCA Coaches' Poll. They slipped out of the rankings after losses to Michigan State and Illinois. The Gophers enter the week on a four-match win streak and the conference player of the week in Stephanie Hagen.
Iowa is 6-19 overall, 3-13 in the Big Ten, with two of those conference victories coming against Northwestern and Michigan. The Hawkeyes lost to traveling partner Minnesota last week, but bounced back to defeat Purdue and Western Illinois. Iowa standout Sara Meyermann had her third 30-kill effort this season last time out against Purdue. Meyermann averaged 7.71 kills per game and 18.1 attempts per game last week.
