Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Western Michigan (Western Michigan Tournament)
Broncos Buck Wildcats in Five, 3-2
9/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 2, 2006
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Northwestern took Western Michigan to five games Saturday night in the championship game of the Clarion Classic, but the host Broncos prevailed, 30-18, 28-30, 32-30, 26-30, 15-9, to win the title in Kalamazoo.
The Wildcats suffer their first loss of the season, falling to 2-1 overall. The Broncos improve to 6-2 on the year with the win. Northwestern was 1-1 in the event after its first match against Charleston Southern was canceled due to CSU's travel problems caused by Tropical Storm Ernesto.
Western Michigan came out on their home floor in the first game of the match and took control right away. A 5-0 Bronco run gave WMU a 9-4 lead that Northwestern never was able to cut into, eventually falling in the game, 30-18.
In game two, both teams traded points back and forth, with Western Michigan holding the biggest advantage of the entire game at two, 27-25. Northwestern scored two quick points to tie, getting the second on a big block by juniors Brittney Aldridge (Hampshire, Ill./Hampshire) and Lindsay Anderson (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier).
Trailing again, 28-27, Anderson ripped a pair of kills to give the Wildcats a game point, then junior Courtnie Paulus (Belgium, Wis./Ozaukee) and sophomore Chelsy Hyser (Belvidere, Ill./Belvidere) combined on a block to give NU the game, 30-28, and knot the match, 1-1.
Western Michigan again raced to a big lead in game three, taking an eight-point advantage, 11-3, out of the gate. The Broncos extended that lead to nine, 21-12, but then the Wildcats got lethal.
Northwestern busted off an 8-1 run to close to within two, 22-20. Junior Stephanie Jurivich (LaGrange, Ill./St. Ignatius) had a pair of kills while Anderson, senior Julie Purcell (Louisville, Ky./Assumption), Hyser and Paulus all contributed kills of their own to the run. Paulus' point came off a fantastic sprawling dig by freshman libero Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg).
The Wildcats would eventually tie the game, 25-25, on an ace by senior Lauren Greenwood (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood). Back and forth the game went again until WMU earned a game point try, 29-28. Northwestern scrambled several times before Anderson lit up an attack for a kill to knot the score again.
The Wildcats staved off one more game point on a block by Hyser and Jurivich before the Broncos won game three, 32-30, to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The two teams traded every one of the first 20 points of game four until Western Michigan used a four-point run to open up a 14-10 lead. When that advantage extended to five points, 16-11, NU head coach Keylor Chan used a timeout.
Northwestern responded to tie the game, 18-18, thanks to four Purcell kills during the comeback. With the score later tied, 25-25, the Wildcats got four straight points on an Anderson kill, a block from Hyser and Jurivich, a kill by Purcell and a kill by Jurivich to take their largest lead of the night, 29-25. A Hyser kill would give Northwestern a 30-26 game four win to knot the match, 2-2.
As they had all match long, the Broncos took the early lead in the fifth game, forcing a Wildcat timeout with the WMU lead hit four, 7-3. This time, however, there would be no Northwestern comeback, with Western Michigan winning the game, 15-9, and the match, 3-2.
Anderson led the Wildcats with a match-high 16 kills, while Purcell added 14. Nobilio finished with 22 digs, the best total of her young career. Jurivich ended up with a double-double for the 'Cats on 13 digs and a career-high 44 assists. Anderson also had a double-double, digging 11 balls to go with her 16 kills.
Paulus (11) and Greenwood (10) also chipped in with double-digit dig totals for the 'Cats.
Northwestern returns to action Sept. 7-9 at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Challenge in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Wildcats first match is at 9:30 p.m. CT Thursday, Sept. 7, against No. 4 Stanford.
Western Michigan Clarion Classic Order of Finish
1. Western Michigan (3-0)
2. Northwestern (1-1)
3. IUPUI (1-2)
4. Charleston Southern (0-2)
All-Tournament Team
Ashley Vogl, Western Michigan
Kathryn Babcock, Western Michigan
Julie Purcell, Northwestern
Kate Nobilio, Northwestern
Christy McConnell, IUPUI
Jenni Shepherd, Charleston Southern
Tournament MVP
Jenifer Sulewski, Western Michigan
