Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
IUPUI (Western Michigan Tournament)
Wildcats Prove Top 'Cat Against Jaguars, 3-0
9/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 2, 2006
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Scheduled to play a pair of games Saturday at the Western Michigan Clarion Classic, Northwestern began its day with a 3-0 whipping of IUPUI, 30-16, 30-20, 30-23.
With the win, the Wildcats improve to 2-0 on the season, while the Jaguars fall to 1-5 with the loss. Northwestern was scheduled to begin the tournament Friday against Charleston Southern, but that match was canceled after Tropical Storm Ernesto kept CSU in port too late to make it to Kalamazoo in time.
The Wildcats held the Jaguars to just .026 hitting as a team in the match, while hitting .396 themselves. Northwestern finished with 10 team blocks.
Northwestern launched itself to a 10-4 lead in game one to force an early IUPUI timeout. Over the span, junior Courtnie Paulus (Belgium, Wis./Ozaukee) combined on three separate blocks and recorded a pair of kills.
Leading 21-14 later in the game, Paulus led a 9-2 Wildcat charge for a 30-16 game one win. Paulus rocked three kills, a block and an ace over the spurt, which junior Lindsay Anderson (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) and senior Cassie McLaughlin (Cary, Ill./Cary Grove) put away with kills.
Paulus finished the game with eight kills, four blocks and an ace for the Wildcats, who hit .400 (17-3-35) as a team.
Game two saw IUPUI hold even for a while, taking small leads of 9-7 and 15-14. A Wildcats' mini-run forced the Jaguars to call timeout after kills by Anderson and senior Julie Purcell (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) earned Northwestern a 19-16 lead.
The 'Cats continued to push that lead, forcing another Jaguar timeout after back-to-back Chelsy Hyser (Belvidere, Ill./Belvidere) kills made the advantage seven, 26-19. Northwestern scored four of the next five points out of the break, taking a 2-0 match lead with a 30-20 game two victory.
After IUPUI opened up a 4-1 lead to begin the third game, Northwestern came storming back to take a 13-8 advantage. Purcell capped the 12-4 Wildcat run with a pair of kills.
After NU opened a nine-point lead, 23-14, on the first kill of sophomore Kelly Keporos' (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) career, IUPUI made a run to pull back within four, 24-20.
Northwestern head coach Keylor Chan called timeout, and the Wildcats immediately responded with a monstrous kill from McLaughlin and a solo block from Keporos. NU would win the game, 30-23, and the match, 3-0.
One match after setting her career high for assists with 34, junior Stephanie Jurivich (LaGrange, Ill./St. Ignatius) upped that total to 42 against IUPUI. Anderson led Northwestern with 12 kills, while Paulus chipped in 11 to go along with a match-high six blocks.
Purcell hit a career-best .692 (9-0-13), and McLaughlin also finished the match without an error (6-0-10). Paulus' .529 hitting percentage and Hyser's .556 mark set career-highs as well.
Freshman Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) led the Wildcats with 15 digs, while senior Lauren Greenwood (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood) contributed 12.
Northwestern returns to action at 6 p.m. CT tonight, Sept. 2, against Clarion Classic host Western Michigan
