Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Ready to Rock as Season Opener Approaches
8/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 24, 2006
Northwestern Game Notes in PDF Format
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2006 Outlook in PDF FormatDownload Free Acrobat Reader
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Coming off its best season in almost 20 years and its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament second round, Northwestern is ready for the next step.
The Wildcats begin the 2006 season at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29, against Illinois-Chicago at Welsh-Ryan Arena, marking the second-consecutive season Northwestern will open the year with a single match at home before beginning nonconference tournament play.
Northwestern is 22-6-1 all-time in season openers, including a 4-2 record under head coach Keylor Chan.
The Wildcats lead the all-time series with UIC, holding a 21-4 advantage over the Flames. Northwestern earned a win in the last meeting between the programs, 3-0, at the 2005 Chicago Challenge.
The Wildcats are receiving votes in the preseason CSTV/AVCA coaches poll, earning 14 points. Five schools in the Big Ten are ranked, with Northwestern making it six total getting votes.
Northwestern returns a solid core of veterans for the 2006 season, including a trio of seniors: Lauren Greenwood (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood), Cassie McLaughlin (Cary, Ill./Cary Grove) and Julie Purcell (Louisville, Ky./Assumption). Greenwood, a setter last season, also will see time as a defensive specialist in 2006, while McLaughlin returns as one of the Wildcats' most accurate attackers in the middle. Completing the shift from middle blocker to outside hitter, Purcell will find herself as one of the focal points of the NU attack.
Also back are several starters who saw significant action in 2005: Junior middle blocker Brittney Aldridge (Hampshire, Ill./Hampshire), junior outside hitter Lindsay Anderson (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier), sophomore middle blocker Chelsy Hyser (Belvidere, Ill./Belvidere), junior setter Stephanie Jurivich (LaGrange, Ill./St. Ignatius) and junior outside hitter Courtnie Paulus (Belgium, Wis./Ozaukee).
Complimenting the returners is a solid class of freshmen ranked No. 14 in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com. That rating ranks fourth among Big Ten schools. The class is comprised of Ariel Baxterbeck (Menlo Park, Calif./Castilleja), Brittani Gray (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore), Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral), Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) and Emma Pollert (Seymour, Ind./Seymour).
Adding even more depth is Amy Odenthal (Geneva, Ill./Geneva), a current Northwestern junior who joins the volleyball squad for the first time this season.
Following the 'Cats opening home match, NU takes to the road for tournaments at Western Michigan and Hawaii.
For Northwestern's season outlook from the 2006 media guide, including quotes from Chan, click on the "2006 Outlook" .pdf link at the top of this page. For Tuesday's game notes, click on the "Northwestern Game Notes" .pdf link.
