Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Take On Wisconsin In Mid-Week Action
9/27/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
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Sept. 27, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After coming off hard-fought conference losses to No. 4 Penn State and No. 20 Ohio State, Northwestern seeks its season's first Big Ten win at 7 p.m. this Wednesday, Sept. 29 against Wisconsin. The match will be on short rest following the weekend's matches that saw the 'Cats finish playing a string of three schools ranked in the top-25 -- NU played No. 11 Stanford in the closing match of the Wildcat Classic the previous weekend.
The Badgers come into the match unranked, but still a dangerous opponent for the Wildcats. Head Coach Keylor Chan says there will be no letdown for Wisconsin.
"There's a lot on the line in this match," Chan said. "We're both hungry for a conference win and Wisconsin is always very tough."
The `Cats boast two players, who have already reached the 100-kill mark this season. Julie Purcell (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) has 130 kills, while freshman Stephanie Jurivich (LaGrange, Ill./St. Ignatius) has added 102 kills of her own.
On the defensive end, through 12 matches this season, freshmen Brittney Aldridge (Hampshire, Ill./Hampshire) and Stefanie Alde (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) have been solid anchoring the middle for the 'Cats, combining for 71 total blocks. And with the recent return of fifth-year senior Leah Delcourt (Rock Island, Ill./Rock Island), the Northwestern defense will only get stronger. Delcourt posted three blocks in her first action since suffering a finger injury in the preseason and is slowly working her way back into the form that saw her make 90 total blocks in 2003.
"It was good to see Leah out there this past weekend," Chan said. "With her back, it gives us that much more experience up front. She's still not completely back to her old self, but her presence alone helps our team out immensely."
Wisconsin plays some stingy defense of its own though, as it features junior Sheila Shaw, who is tops in the Big Ten in blocks per game with 1.42. Shaw has 51 total blocks through 36 games. Senior Jill Odenthal and sophomore Amy Bladow also rank among the top-10 blockers in the conference, averaging 1.06 and 1.05 per game, respectively. As a team, Wisconsin is the No. 1 defensive team in the Big Ten, averaging 3.39 blocks over 37 games.
The `Cats have a variety of weapons to counteract the Badgers' stone-wall defense Purcell and Jurivich have combined for 232 kills on the year, while freshmen standouts Courtnie Paulus (Belgium, Wis./Ozaukee) and Lindsay Anderson (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) have also shown glimpes of greatness in the first 12 matches of their young careers. The two have shared the starting role as one of Northwestern's outside hitters, racking up 139 kills between them. Paulus should break the 100-kill barrier this week, as she is currently sitting on 94 kills coming into the Wisconsin match.
While establishing herself as a legitimate offensive threat this year, Paulus has earned her way onto two all-tournament teams. After making her first career start in the second match of the Chicago Challenge against DePaul, Paulus played well enough to be named to the all-tournament team. She followed up that performance by recording 38 kills over the course of the Wildcat Classic the subsequent weekend, en route to her second-consecutive all-tournament nod.
With weekend tournaments in the books for the rest of the year, though, the `Cats have shifted their focus to getting their first Big Ten win of the year.
"This is a key match for us to get on the board in the Big Ten," Chan said. "We showed we can play well against top teams like Penn State. We just need to play with more consistency."
