Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Kentucky (Wildcat Classic)
Northwestern Tames Kentucky, 3-0; Wins Wildcat Classic
9/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 17, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. -- It is fitting that the battle for the Wildcat Classic championship came down to a pair of teams nicknamed "Wildcats." Saturday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, four purple-clad Wildcats notched double-digit kill totals and Northwestern downed Kentucky in a three-game sweep, 30-28, 30-25, 30-27, to bring home the hardware in its home tourney.
With the win, NU concludes the Classic with a perfect 3-0 record and improves its season mark to 9-1. The Wildcats are off to their best start to a season since 1987.
Kentucky finished second in the tournament with a 2-1 record. Southern Illinois ended up third at 1-2 and Brown rounded out the field with an 0-3 record.
Sophomore Lindsay Anderson (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) led Northwestern Saturday night with a .385 hitting percentage on 12 kills. She earned tournament MVP honors.
Senior Christie Gardner (West Bend, Wis./West Bend East) matched her season high with 18 digs and also earned a place on the all-tournament team along with teammate Stephanie Jurivich (LaGrange, Ill./St. Ignatius), who set a career-best with 29 assists in the game.
Cary, Ill., native Amy Kaplan and Danielle Wallace represented Kentucky on the all-tournament team. Johannah Yutzy of Southern Illinois also made the squad.
In game one Saturday night, Kentucky took the early lead before a 5-0 Northwestern run punctuated by a Jurivich kill gave NU a 12-9 advantage. Northwestern maintained that lead until Kentucky tied the game, 27-27.
A pair of kills from junior Cassie McLaughlin (Cary, Ill./Cary Grove) finished the game for NU, 30-28.
McLaughlin finished with a match-high 15 kills on the night.
In game two, Kentucky again jumped out to an early cushion, but this time a quick 6-1 Northwestern spurt gave the home 'Cats the lead, 9-5. Again, NU kept that lead throughout the game until kills by Anderson and McLaughlin set up Anderson for an ace to finish the game, 30-25.
Game three was just as close and hard fought. NU was up by just one, 26-25, before a trio of kills by Julie Purcell (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) accounted for three of Northwestern's final four points to win the game, 30-27, and the match, 3-0.
Purcell finished the game with 12 kills for the purple Wildcats.
Sophomore Courtnie Paulus (Belgium, Wis./Ozaukee) earned her second double-double on the season with 10 kills and 10 digs for Northwestern.
NU returns to action at 7 p.m. next Friday, Sept. 23, when it opens the Big Ten season against Iowa at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
