Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Minnesota
Minnesota Escapes Welsh-Ryan After Five-Game Battle, 3-2
9/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 22, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Big Ten is one of the best conferences in volleyball, and the league opener between Northwestern and Minnesota lived up to its billing Friday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena. In an exciting, back-and-forth match, the Golden Gophers escaped Evanston with a 3-2 win, 27-30, 30-28, 30-19, 29-31, 15-12.
With the loss, Northwestern snaps a four-match winning streak and falls to 6-4 overall on the year, 0-1 in the Big Ten. Minnesota improves to 7-4 on the year, 1-0 in the conference.
Northwestern roared out to a six-point advantage, 8-2, right away with solid defense. A solo block by Stephanie Jurivich (LaGrange, Ill./St. Ignatius) and a block by Brittney Aldridge (Hampshire, Ill./Hampshire) and Lindsay Anderson (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) helped propel the early run.
Northwestern maintained the lead throughout the game, with Minnesota closing at times to within two. The Golden Gophers used their second timeout of the game after a service error gave NU a late three-point lead, 25-22. The Wildcats would not relinquish the lead, with senior Julie Purcell (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) banging home the final kill of the game for a 30-17 NU win.
Aldridge had a huge first game, finishing with six kills and a .625 hitting percentage (6-1-8) for the 'Cats.
Game two was closer off the bat, but Northwestern still held the advantage almost all of the way through. Minnesota tied the score, 14-14, midway through the game, but a 5-1 Northwestern run made the score 19-15 and forced a Golden Gopher timeout.
Minnesota again closed to within one before NU opened the lead back to four, 25-21, on a kill by Courtnie Paulus (Belgium, Wis./Ozaukee). In a game that never ceased to be back-and-forth, the Gophers again pulled to within a single point, 25-24, and Northwestern head coach Keylor Chan used a timeout of his own.
Minnesota continued its run to pull ahead by two, 27-25, and Northwestern used its second timeout of the second game. The Wildcats fought back to knot the score, 28-28, but the Gophers would score the final two points of the game to win, 30-28, and even the match, 1-1.
Minnesota jumped out to the early advantage in game three, 11-6, to force a Northwestern timeout. That lead grew to 15-7 and Chan used his second timeout. The Gophers pushed the lead to 11, 23-12, before the Wildcats finally responded with a little 4-0 spurt helped by a block from Paulus and Chelsy Hyser (Belvidere, Ill./Belvidere) and some impressive digging by freshman libero Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg).
The Wildcats never were able to challenge, however, dropping game three, 30-19.
Game four was neck-and-neck until the midway point when Minnesota inched ahead by three, 17-14, and Chan called his first timeout of the game. Northwestern came flying back to immediately tie the score, 17-17, helped by a Hyser kill, but the next four points came from Minnesota, and the Wildcats used their second timeout of the game down by four, 21-17.
Again, Northwestern clawed back into the game, drawing to within one, 28-27, on a kill by Hyser and Minnesota elected to use a timeout. Out of the break, a Gopher attack error and an Anderson kill made the NU run 4-0 and gave the home Wildcats a game point opportunity, 29-28, and Minnesota used its second timeout.
After the Gophers forced a second NU game point, Anderson killed a ball to even the match with a 31-29 game four victory.
In game five, Minnesota jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Northwestern responded to take the lead, 4-3, before the Gophers ended up with the lead at the side switch, 8-7. Northwestern scored the next three points on a Paulus kill and two attack errors to take a 10-8 lead and force a Minnesota timeout.
In a match that just would not quit, the Gophers rattled off the next pair of points to knot the score, 10-10, and force Chan to use a timeout. With the score tied, 12-12, Minnesota scored the next three points to claim the match.
Paulus led NU with 15 kills, recording a double-double with 13 digs as well. Hyser had a season-best 14 kills, while Aldridge and Anderson both contributed 11 kills. Anderson also recorded a double-double, digging 11 balls.
Nobilio led the Wildcats with 32 digs, a match-high total. Jurivich finished with 50 assists.
Northwestern returns to action at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, against No. 14 Wisconsin at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The match is part of Women's Sport Weekend at Northwestern -- the Women Who Inspire Award will be presented between the second and third game, and admission for everyone is just $2!
