Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Back Home to Host Hawkeyes, Gophers This Weekend
11/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 11, 2008
Northwestern Volleyball Weekly Release - Nov. 11 
Opening Serve
After a rough road trip, Northwestern looks to regroup at home with a pair of Big Ten Conference matches. The Wildcats welcome Iowa to Welsh-Ryan Arena on Friday, Nov. 14, followed by a visit by 15th-ranked Minnesota on Saturday, Nov. 15. Both matches get underway at 7 p.m.
Wildcats on the Web
Fans unable to make it to Evanston for the pair of matches this weekend will still be able to follow every serve. Live streaming video of the matches against both the Hawkeyes and Gophers will be available by clicking on the camera icon on the volleyball schedule page at NUSports.com. Live statistics of both matches will also be available.
Scouting Iowa
Iowa comes to Evanston with an overall record of 13-13 and are 5-9 in the Big Ten, falling to Illinois and Purdue at Carver-Hawkeye Arena this past weekend for its fourth-straight conference defeat. Catherine Smale and Megan Schipper compose the one-two threat of the Hawkeye offense, as the two have combined for 597 kills on the year. Smale's 307 kills gives her an average of 3.30 per set, while Schipper averages 3.12 with 290 on the year. Defensively at the net, Laura Kremer leads the team in blocks with 84, including 11 solo blocks, while Katie Kennedy has added 67 denials as well. Iowa ranks third in the Big Ten in service aces, as Schipper and Emily Hiza each average 0.26 service aces per set. Kiley Fister averages 8.68 assists, while defensively Hiza's 329 digs on the year gives her a 3.78 average. Head coach Sharon Dingman has sparked quite an improvement in her first season with the Hawkeyes, and is 349-224 (.609) in 18 years of coaching.
Scouting Minnesota
15th-ranked Minnesota enters the weekend with a 20-6 overall record and is tied for second in the Big Ten at 10-4, coming off a pair of big home victories over nationally-ranked Purdue and Illinois this past weekend. The Gophers are one of the top defensive teams in the Big Ten, ranking first in the conference in digs (16.97) and second in both blocks (2.80 per set) and opponent hitting percentage (.160). Libero Christine Tan anchors the Minnesota defense, leading the Big Ten in digs per set (5.11) while Lauren Gibbemeyer ranks fourth in blocks (1.42), tallying 132 on the season including 26 solo blocks. Gibbemeyer has also played a key role in the Gopher offensive attack, sitting 10th in the conference in kills (3.30) with 307 on the year and eighth in hitting percentage (.332). She has been joined by Brook Dieter who leads the team with 328 kills and is seventh in the Big Ten in kills per set at 3.64. Setter Rachel Hartmann enters the weekend just shy of reaching 1,000 assists, sitting at 997 and is third in the conference with a 10.96 assists per set average. Mike Hebert continues to establish his reputation as one of the top volleyball coaches in the country, upping his record with the Gophers to 322-118 (.732) in his 13 seasons at the helm in Minnesota, and holds a career record of 893-374 (.705) in his 33 years as a head coach.
Series Information
Friday's match marks the 58th meeting between Iowa and Northwestern with the Wildcats holding a 33-24-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Hawkeyes took a four-set victory over NU in Iowa City on Sept. 27, snapping a five-match losing streak to the `Cats. Welsh-Ryan Arena has not been friendly in recent years to Iowa, as Northwestern have taken six of the last seven matches against the Hawkeyes at home. Minnesota comes to Evanston Saturday holding a 40-16 record against NU, including a three-set victory in Minneapolis on Sept. 26. The Wildcats upset the 13th-ranked Gophers in five sets at Welsh-Ryan Arena in 2007, handing Minnesota its second loss to NU in Evanston in the last 16 years.
Nobilio Continues To Close In On All-Time Dig Mark
Junior Kate Nobilio continues to establish herself among the all-time greats, as with her 16 digs this past week against Michigan and Ohio State, she upped her Wildcat career total to 1,557 and continues to close in on Christie Gardner's all-time dig mark of 1,658. Through the first 25 matches of the year, Nobilio is averaging just under 18 digs per match, meaning that if she keeps up her current pace, she could sit alone atop the all-time digs list at Northwestern by the end of the season. She also upped her season total to 446 digs, which currently is tied with Janine Makar for the sixth-best season dig total in program history. Nobilio already holds the first- and third-best single-season dig totals, tallying 603 in 2007 and 508 in 2006.
Glab Moves Into Eighth-Place on All-Time Assist List
Sophomore Elyse Glab has already made her presence felt in the short time she has been in Evanston, as with her 64 assists against Michigan and Ohio State she upped her career total to 2,109, moving her past Stephanie Jurivich's 2,108 career assists into eighth-place among the Wildcats' all-time assist leaders. Glab now sets her sights on Heather Fredin's 2,194 assists for seventh-place all-time at Northwestern.
For the complete weekly release, click the PDF link above.
