Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcat Volleyball Welcomes Purdue and Illinois This Weekend
11/14/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
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Nov. 14, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern (14-12, 7-7 Big Ten) will strive to defend its home court and stay in the mix for an NCAA Tournament bid this weekend when it hosts Purdue Friday and Illinois Saturday. Both matches begin at 7 p.m. The Wildcats defeated both teams on the road in five-game matches during the first weekend of Big Ten play. Purdue leads its all-time series with NU 36-18, although Northwestern has won the last three meetings. Illinois is 33-20 all-time against the Wildcats.
Internet Broadcast
Both matches this weekend can be heard on WNUR's website. A link to the matches can be found at http://sports.wnur.org. This will be the first time that Northwestern has had an audio broadcast of volleyball matches.
Scouting the Boilermakers
Purdue (11-16, 1-13 Big Ten) dropped both of its matches last weekend, falling to Illinois at home and at Penn State. The Illini posted a .326 hitting percentage in posting a 30-18, 30-28, 33-31 win over the Boilermakers. Marie Franke led three Purdue players in double-figures with 11 kills. Daren Poe recorded 21 digs. Penn State hit .390 and outblocked the Boilermakers 12-2 in its 30-15, 30-20, 30-17 victory. Joanna Lowery totaled a team-high 12 kills. Lowery averages a team-high 3.91 kills per game. Kim McConaha is averaging 3.57 kills and 0.96 blocks per game with a .346 hitting percentage. Jeff Hulsmeyer is 24-63 in four seasons as Purdue's head coach.
Scouting the Fighting Illini
Illinois (11-12, 5-9 Big Ten) is coming off a weekend that saw it earn a three-game victory and a three-game loss. The Illini swept Purdue 30-18, 30-28, 33-31 Friday behind 15 kills and a .682 hitting percentage by Shelly O'Brien. Three other Illinois players finished in double-figures in kills, as the Illini outblocked the Boilermakers 10-3. Betsy Eiserman contributed 46 assists. Illinois hit just .067 in a 30-27, 30-16, 30-22 loss at Penn State Saturday. O'Brien tallied a team-high 11 kills. Lisa Argabright leads Illinois with a .313 hitting percentage and averages of 3.23 kills and 1.18 blocks per game, but has been out with mononucleosis the past two weeks. She is questionable for action this weekend. Head Coach Don Hardin is 114-89 in seven seasons at Illinois.
Head Coach Keylor Chan
Keylor Chan is in his third season as head coach of the Wildcats after spending one season as head coach at Furman University. Last season, Northwestern recorded its best Big Ten Conference finish in more than a decade and won more conference matches than any NU team since the 1993 season. Chan has compiled a 31-52 record in three seasons with the 'Cats and is 49-67 overall in four seasons as a head coach. Chan is assisted by Josh Grau and Meggan Kohnen, in their third and first seasons with the Wildcats, respectively.
Last Time Out
The Wildcats split a weekend series on the road, falling to No. 6 Minnesota before defeating Iowa. The Golden Gophers posted a .330 team hitting percentage and recorded nine service aces in recording a 30-22, 30-18, 30-23 over Northwestern. Sarah Ballog (Coto de Caza, Calif./Santa Margarita) and Iwona Lodzik (Tarnobrzeg, Poland/Tarnobrzeg) led the 'Cats with eight kills apiece. NU snapped a four-match skid the following night, defeating Iowa 30-27, 24-30, 30-21, 30-24. Erika Lange (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) and Christie Gardner (West Bend, Wis./East) each came within one of a season high in kills. Lange totaled 23 kills and seven blocks, while Gardner added 16 kills. Lodzik totaled 20 digs and Cassie McKnight (San Marcos, Calif./San Marcos) contributed a season-high 13. Drew Robertson (Long Beach, Calif./Poly) recorded 61 assists.
The Race is On
With only three weeks of Big Ten regular-season play remaining, every match becomes important as teams attempt to secure NCAA Tournament bids. Just one match separates fourth place from eighth place in the conference standings. Nine of the 11 teams are still in position to earn a postseason berth.
By the Numbers
.200
Northwestern's victory over Iowa Saturday was its first this season when it posts a team hitting percentage under .200. NU hit .193 in the match and is now 1-12 when it hits under .200. The Wildcats are 13-0 this season when they boast a team hitting percentage of .200 or better. NU's opponents are 9-4 when they hit over .200 and 3-10 when they hit below the mark.
12
* When Northwestern junior outside hitter Iwona Lodzik records 12 or more kills in a match, the Wildcats are 10-2. When Lodzik totals 11 kills or less, the 'Cats are 4-10.
* The Wildcats are 10-2 in matches when setter Drew Robertson averages 12 or more assists per game.
9
Northwestern is 7-1 this season when it records nine or more
service aces.
.125
When freshman outside hitter Christie Gardner records a hitting percentage over .125 in a match, Northwestern is 10-1.
So Far, So Good
With the victory over Iowa last weekend, the Wildcats picked up their seventh Big Ten victory of the season. The last time that Northwestern won seven or more Big Ten matches in a season was 1990 when it finished 9-9.
Lange Amongst the Leaders
Junior middle blocker Erika Lange continues to rank at or near the top of a number of Big Ten statistical categories. Lange's 1.51 blocks per game average ranks first in the Big Ten. Her .358 hitting percentage and 4.27 kills-per-game average each rank third. Through Nov. 3, Lange's block average ranked 15th in the country while her hitting percentage placed 29th.
Reaching Milestones
With a season-high 13 digs at Iowa, Cassie McKnight recorded the 400th of her career. Iwona Lodzik posted the 300th kill of the season and her career against the Hawkeyes. Drew Robertson became the seventh player in NU history to record 2,000 career assists when she recorded her 27th of the match against Minnesota. Robertson is three digs away from career No. 500. Sarah Ballog needs two total blocks to move into fifth place on the school's all-time list. She is also 12 block assists away from third place in school history.
Next Time Out
Northwestern travels to Madison, Wis. for a 7 p.m. Wednesday meeting with Wisconsin. The 'Cats then return to Evanston to host Penn State at 7 p.m. Saturday.
