Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Look To Make Their Mark on Big Ten Race
8/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 22, 2008
EVANSTON, Ill. -- As Northwestern prepares for the upcoming volleyball season, it faces a much different challenge than it has in years past. Gone are four seniors who served as the backbone of the Wildcat team, leaving head coach Keylor Chan one of his youngest squads in his tenure in Evanston. With just two seniors and two juniors on the roster, Chan will be looking to a large group of underclassmen to continue to evolve the `Cats into Big Ten contenders on a yearly basis.
"This team is young on paper, but a lot of girls got a lot of quality playing time last season, which will be a big factor to our success," Chan said. "Those four seniors helped us establish ourselves as a program and stabilize us as a solid Big Ten team, but now its time to turn the page to a new chapter, and our girls are ready to accept that challenge."
Each of the returning `Cats were able to gain some much needed on-court experience last season, with the majority of them notching at least a handful of starts. And though the roster may look somewhat different, a number of things won't change for Chan's Wildcats.
The goals remain the same -- compete for a Big Ten title and an NCAA tournament berth while representing Northwestern at the highest level possible. Factor in a challenging schedule and the key to the 2008 season will be how quickly the maturation process of the young `Cats can take effect.
"This team has a great opportunity to really make a name for itself and not have to look back on past years' successes," said Chan of the 2008 Wildcats. "We're as athletic a team as I've had in a long time, and as long as we can do the little things that it takes to be successful and continue to work on our consistency -- if we can do what it takes to fuse all those aspects together, this team could set itself up to accomplish big things."
COACHES
Head coach Keylor Chan returns for his ninth season on the Wildcat sidelines, looking to build off an 18-13 performance in 2007 -- the second-best result of his Northwestern career. Chan became just the second head coach to record 100 victories in Evanston - doing so with a 3-0 victory over Georgetown on September 7 -- and currently ranks second all-time in wins (114), Big Ten victories (54) and winning percentage (.465) among NU head coaches.
Assistant coaches Christie Landry and Karen Sonders also return for their third seasons at Northwestern. Former Wildcat standout Courtnie Mims is in her first season as a volunteer assistant coach while Anne Mastandrea begins her first season as the director of operations.
OUTSIDE HITTERS
As is the case with every position on the court this season, the Wildcats have a mix of experience and youth. Senior Kelly Keporos looks to continue to improve and compete for playing time, while junior Ariel Baxterbeck will be healthy after a pair of knee surgeries limited her playing time last year. Both players were asked to assume different roles during spring workouts and are looking to challenge for starting positions and quality playing time.
Sophomore Brittani Gray is the top returner on the outside for Northwestern, having recorded 240 kills and 114 digs in her redshirt freshman campaign. One of the most athletic players on the team, Chan is expecting a big year from Gray.
Lindsay Kresch also saw some quality action as a freshman, and has continued to improve through off-season workouts and spring practices, and could challenge for a starting position as well.
Chan brought in a pair of freshmen from California in Alexandra Ayers and Natalie Taylor, both of which look to have promising careers in Wildcat uniforms. They each excelled in their high school careers and could provide depth and competition from the get-go.
MIDDLE BLOCKERS
Senior Chelsy Hyser anchors the middle for the Wildcats, and looks to add to her impressive Northwestern career. Already ranked among the all-time greats in hitting percentage, she is the top returner in seven statistical categories for the `Cats, and holds the single-game records for both block assists (13) and total blocks (15).
Sabel Moffett provided a spark for NU as a redshirt freshman, playing in 21 matches with 15 starts. Her .223 hitting percentage and 11 solo blocks are second among the NU returners, and looks to compete for a starting position.
Sophomore Naomi Johnson also had an impressive debut, starting in 12 of her 22 matches in 2007. After being moved to the right side, Johnson became a key component to the Wildcat defensive schemes, and Chan looks for her to continue her role as one of the team's top defenders.
Crystal Lake native Kathryn Chrystal was a focus of the recruiting class, and Chan hopes having the opportunity to work closely with Hyser and the other middle blockers will help her develop into a force for Northwestern.
SETTERS
One of the youngest positions on the court for the Wildcats, but also one of the most crucial, as sophomore Elyse Glab is poised to build on her impressive freshman campaign. Glab settled into the starting role early in the season and led the team in assists with 1,209 -- the seventh-best single-season performance in NU history and the top performance by a freshman.
Freshman Madalyn Shalter should add some much-needed depth to the position. Ranked in the top 100 on PrepVolleyball.com's "Senior Aces" list, she is a two-time all-district Player of the Year, and will look to fill a number of roles for the `Cats.
LIBEROS
Perhaps the strength of the Northwestern team as junior Kate Nobilio returns as the rock of the Wildcats. Her 603 digs in 2007 was a single-season NU record, and her 1,111 for her career already places her ninth on the all-time list. Starting all but two matches for the `Cats, Nobilio also proved to be the top Northwestern defender, and is ready to add to her already impressive career.
Chan also brought in freshman Mary Grace Gallagher to provide some depth in the libero position. An extremely gifted athlete, Gallagher has seen a lot of success as a track athlete, and is now making the transition to Big Ten volleyball.
THE SCHEDULE
One of the guarantees of competing in the Big Ten is knowing every year will pose a difficult schedule, and 2008 will be no exception. The Wildcats have 16 matches against 10 teams which qualified for the 2007 NCAA tournament, including a pair with the defending national champion Nittany Lions of Penn State.
After opening the season with the annual Chicago Challenge at Loyola, NU faces tournament qualifier Dayton as part of the Flyers' home tournament, then meet up with another NCAA qualifier in Wichita State at the Washington State tournament in Pullman, Wash., along with a handful of teams expected to compete for their respective conference crowns.
Northwestern will then serve as host for the 27th annual Wildcat Classic September 19-20 at Welsh-Ryan Arena, welcoming Georgetown and Virginia to Evanston. But the highlight of the non-conference schedule is the first-ever meeting between the `Cats and Pac-10 powerhouse UCLA in NU's final game of the Classic Saturday, Sept. 20.
Chan hopes the preseason will be a good tune-up for the grueling Big Ten schedule. In addition to Penn State winning the national championship, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Purdue and Michigan State all qualified for the 2007 tournament, with the Wolverines and Spartans each making an appearance in the round of 16. Despite the stiff competition, Northwestern's goal of winning the conference championship remains unchanged.
"Our goal is always to win the Big Ten, but we understand it is a process," said Chan. "Whether that's in 2008, 2009 or 2010, it is always our goal. It's more than a one-year goal - it's something you build toward. I look at this team and what we have, and if we can speed up the maturing process, we're going to have a great year."
The Wildcats' goal is to improve on last season's seventh-place finish in the Big Ten and qualify for their fourth NCAA tournament in the past seven years and the first since 2005 when they advanced to the second round.
MILESTONE WATCH
A pair of Wildcats enter the season within striking distance of some lofty records. Hyser currently ranks second on the all-time hitting percentage list at .301, just shy of the .304 school record set by Erika Lange from 2000-03. She also looks to break into the all-time lists in both solo blocks (52) and block assists (224), entering the season just a handful shy of being added to the Northwestern top-10 in both categories.
Nobilio has already made her mark on the Wildcat record books, as she already holds the first and third-best dig performances in school history (603 in 2007, 508 in 2006). Her career total of 1,111 is already ninth all-time in the program's history, and she is just 547 digs shy of surpassing Christine Gardner as the Wildcats' all-time digs leader.
NEWS AND NOTES
• The Wildcats were picked to finish seventh in the Big Ten Preseason Poll, right where they finished off the 2007 season. Defending national champion Penn State was the unanimous choice as the favorite, followed by Minnesota, Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois, and Michigan. Michigan State was picked to finish eighth, while Ohio State, Indiana and Iowa rounded out the poll.
• Friday marks the end of two weeks of two-a-day practices for the Wildcats, as NU will hold an intrasquad scrimmage Sat., Aug. 23, at 3 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The scrimmage should provide a good look to the 2008 Wildcats as they prepare for the season opener on Fri., Aug. 29, against Illinois-Chicago in the Chicago Challenge.
