Northwestern University Athletics
Seniors Play Final Home Matches of Careers
11/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
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Nov. 16, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern seniors Leah Delcourt (Rock Island, Ill./Rock Island) and Drew Robertson (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly) will play in the final home matches of their careers this weekend, as the Wildcats (8-18, 3-13 Big Ten) take on Michigan State Friday, Nov. 19 and Michigan Saturday, Nov. 20 in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
After capturing the career assists record earlier this season, Robertson needs only 62 more to reach 5,000 career assists. Averaging 38.6 per match, the milestone is firmly in sight. She will become NU's first-and-only setter to reach 5,000. Robertson has posted a team-leading 13 double-doubles this year, as well.
Delcourt has proved to be a steady veteran for an extremely young team this year. She has recorded a career-high nine kills on four different occasions. Delcourt also leads the team with nine solo blocks in limited action--after suffering a preseason finger injury, she battled back to rejoin the team midseason.
Delcourt and the rest of the Wildcat defense will face one of the best attackers in the Big Ten Friday when they go up against the Spartans' Kim Schram. In conference play, Schram has 305 kills and a 5.18 average per game. She stands at second place in the conference and joins Ohio State's Stacey Gordon as one of only two players to post more than five kills per game. Schram is the focus of Michigan State's offense, as no other Spartan has more than 200 kills on the year.
She recently recorded a team-high 15 kills and a .333 hitting percentage in the Spartans' 3-0 loss to No. 5 Minnesota. Schram also leads her team with seven solo blocks on the year.
Michigan State comes to Welsh-Ryan Arena with a 11-13 overall record and 6-10 mark in the Big Ten. Last weekend, they earned a split by beating Iowa 3-0 before falling to No. 5 Minnesota 3-0.
Michigan (18-9, 8-8) boasts an extremely well-rounded offense with four players over 200 kills on the year. Katie Brudzinski is the most efficient attacker for the Wolverines with a .271 hitting percentage off of 276 kills. She is also tied for first place in the Big Ten with 17 service aces.
Michigan's Lisa Gamalski is the second-most efficient attacker in the Big Ten with a .379 hitting percentage. Jennifer Gandolph is the team leader in kills with 281 and a 3.05 average per game.
Michigan has a balanced defense, too, as the team ranks third in the Big Ten with 1,021 digs and an average of 17.02 per game. The Wolverines rank fourth in the conference with 158.0 total blocks and a 2.63 average per game.
The Wolverines have won three out of their last four matches. Last weekend, they beat Iowa 3-0, and barely lost to No. 5 Minnesota 3-2.
Wildcats' All-Time Record Against Michigan State and Michigan
The Series with the Spartans
All-Time Series: Northwestern leads 27-20
Most Recent Meeting: Oct. 23, 2004 (MSU, 3-1)
2004 Record: 6-10 (11-13 Big Ten)
The Series with the Nittany Lions
All-Time Series: Michigan leads 27-20
Most Recent Meeting: Oct. 22, 2004 (UM, 3-0)
2004 Record: 18-9 (8-8, Big Ten)
Multi-Dimensional
While Drew Robertson's position as a setter has her primarily focused on presenting her teammates with an opportunity to score, she is by no means a one dimensional player. As of Nov. 6, Robertson has posted 13 double-doubles on the year--the most recent coming against Illinois where she had 58 assists and 10 digs. Robertson has also recorded a rare triple-double Oct. 16 against Indiana when she lit the Hoosiers up for 11 kills, 27 digs and 57 assists. She is one of only three Big Ten players to record a triple-double this season. Robertson's service game also has been huge for the 'Cats this year, specifically her performance Oct. 16 against Indiana. In the five-game match, she recorded four service aces, tying her for the second-best total in the Big Ten this season. She leads the team with 18 service aces.
Set It and Forget It Senior setter Drew Robertson has made her mark on the Northwestern record book in her four years wearing the Purple and White. Last season, the Long Beach, Calif. native recorded 1,463 assists, good for second place in Northwestern's all-time single-season record book. Robertson also has a firm hold on the top spot with 1,515 assists, which she accomplished her sophomore year. She most recently etched her name atop the Northwestern record books for all-time career assists with 4,938 by recording 49 against Iowa Oct. 30. This past weekend against No. 8 Ohio State and No. 4 Penn State, she passed the 1,000-assists mark on the year (she now stands at 1,003). She has averaged 38.6 assists per match through 26 contests this year. That puts her on pace to eclipse the 5,000 career assists barrier this weekend, becoming NU's first-and-only setter to reach 5,000.
Gardner Born to Dig In 2003-04, Christie Gardner was a key offensive threat for the 'Cats, ranking fourth on the team with 290 kills and a 2.57 average. With the graduation of all-Big Ten performer Erika Lange and Iwona Lodzik, you would think Gardner would have been go-to weapon for NU's offense. Given Gardner's incredible athleticism though, Keylor Chan saw the potential for her to become a premier defender in the Big Ten. Gardner has not disappointed, excelling in the back row for the 'Cats this year. She currently ranks fifth in the conference with 241 digs and a 4.55 average per game. Her performance Oct. 16 against Indiana yielded Gardner the fourth-best dig total in the Big Ten this season with 31 in five games.
