Northwestern University Athletics
Aloha Northwestern!
9/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 3, 2006
Northwestern's Tournament Match Notes in PDF Format
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Break out the flowered shirts, throw on a lei and get ready for one of the most exciting atmospheres in collegiate volleyball.
Northwestern travels to sunny Honolulu, Hawaii, this week for the Waikiki Beach Marriott Challenge where it will face two of the top programs in the nation. The Wildcats begin their Challenge schedule at 9:30 p.m. CT Thursday against No. 4 Stanford before taking on seventh-ranked Hawaii at midnight CT Friday, Sept. 8. NU concludes the tournament at 9: 30 p.m. CT Saturday against Fairfield.
Hawaiians love their volleyball, as evidenced by the nearly 8,000 fans the Wahine are averaging at home matches so far this season. Northwestern expects to play in front of similar crowds during its trip.
The 'Cats are coming off a 1-1 performance at the Western Michigan Clarion Classic, where they had their first match canceled due to the Tropical Storm Ernesto-caused travel difficulties of scheduled opponent Charleston Southern. NU then played a pair of matches on Saturday, Sept. 2, defeating IUPUI in three games before host Western Michigan outlasted Northwestern in five games.
Senior Julie Purcell (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) and freshman Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) earned berths on the Clarion Classic All-Tournament team. Purcell was one of four Wildcats to set career-highs for hitting percentage in the first two matches of the year, while libero Nobilio helped pass Northwestern to a .396 hitting percentage against IUPUI -- the sixth-best total in program history.
Both Stanford (4-2) and Hawaii (3-0) lead the all-time series against Northwestern, while NU and Fairfield never have met. The Wildcats last played the Cardinal in a three-game loss in 2004, and last faced the Wahine in 2000, which also was NU's last trip to Honolulu.
For Northwestern's complete tournament notes, click on the .pdf link at the top of the page.
