Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Continues Big Ten Road Swing at Purdue, Indiana
10/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 27, 2009
Northwestern Volleyball Weekly Release - Oct. 27 
Opening Serve
Northwestern opens up the second half of the Big Ten schedule by continuing its four-match road trip. The Wildcats visit West Lafayette, Ind., for a 6 p.m. match against Purdue on Friday, Oct. 30. NU then spends Halloween night in Bloomington, Ind., facing Indiana at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31.
Scouting the Boilermakers
Season: Purdue is 11-10 on the year and 3-7 in the Big Ten (T-7th) ... The Boilers dropped a pair of matches to Ohio State and Penn State last weekend. Head Coach: Dave Shondell is 135-75 (.643) in his seventh season as Purdue's head coach. Outside Hitters: Carrie Gurnell (Sr.) ranks 10th in the Big Ten in kills at 3.25 per set (270 total) with 107 digs and 47 blocks ... Ariel Turner (Fr.) ranks third on the team with 199 kills (2.55 per set) and has added 28 blocks up front. Middle Blockers: Kristen Arthurs (Jr.) leads Purdue with 68 blocks while ranking fourth in kills (179) ... Tiffany Fisher (So.) is second on the Boilers in both kills (204) and blocks (58) and ranks fifth in the Big Ten with a .386 hitting percentage. Setter: Jaclyn Hart (Jr.) ranks seventh in the conference with 10.17 assists per set (834 total) and has added 93 kills and 141 digs. Libero: Blair Bashen (So.) is averaging 3.70 digs per set (307 total) and leads Purdue with 18 service aces.
Scouting the Hoosiers
Season: Indiana enters the weekend at 14-10 and 3-7 in the Big Ten (T-7th) ... The Hoosiers host Illinois Friday night before taking on the Wildcats Saturday. Head Coach: Sherry Dunbar is 46-42 (.523) in her third season in Bloomington and is 159-64 (.713) in her 7th season as a head coach. Outside Hitters: Jordan Haverly (Fr.) is tied with middle blocker Ashley Benson (Jr.) for seventh in the Big Ten averaging 3.41 kills per set and are tied for the team lead in service aces (20) ... Haverly leads the Hoosiers in total kills (310) while adding 193 digs and 47 blocks ... Kelsey Hall (Sr.) has added 152 kills, 208 digs and 24 blocks up front. Middle Blockers: Benson ranks second on the team in total kills (293) while leading the Hoosiers in blocks (96), including 11 solo ... Taylor Witmer (Jr.) ranks second in blocks with 74 while adding 93 kills. Setter: Indiana's two-setter duo of Mary Chaudoin (So.) and Whitney Granado (Fr.) has combined for 989 assists (12.73 per set), 64 kills and 72 blocks. Libero: Caitlin Cox (So.) ranks seventh in the conference in both digs per set (3.86) and service aces (0.28), notching 25 on the year.
Series Information
Northwestern and Purdue get together for the 69th time Friday with the Boilermakers holding a 44-24 advantage in the series. The Wildcats took a five-set decision at Welsh-Ryan Arena back on Oct. 10 as both Sabel Moffett and Naomi Johnson notched 15 kills for Northwestern. Purdue has won the last four meetings in West Lafayette, with the 'Cats last victory at Holloway Gymnasium coming back in 2004. Northwestern and Indiana meet for the 57th time with the series deadlocked at 28 wins apiece following the Wildcats 3-2 victory over the Hoosiers on Oct. 11 behind a career-best 24 kills from Moffett. Indiana has won the last two meetings in Bloomington, which snapped a three-match Northwestern winning streak at University Gym.
Nobilio Hits A Pair of Career Dig Milestones
Senior Kate Nobilio, who has already cemented her legacy as Northwestern's all-time digs leader, hit a pair of career milestones over the weekend. Nobilio notched 15 digs at Iowa on Friday night, making her just the fifth player in Big Ten history to eclipse 2,000 career digs. The following night, she added 17 more and surpassed Purdue's Kelli Miller (2005-08) for fourth-place all-time among the conference's career dig leaders. The Big Ten Conference's active dig leader, Nobilio leads the conference in both total digs (360) and digs per set (4.56) while also holding three of Northwestern's top-four single-season dig records, including a school-best 603 in 2007.
Wildcats Among the Big Ten Leaders
As a team, Northwestern ranks among the leaders of the Big Ten in a number of categories, ranking fourth in both opponent hitting percentage (.177) and blocks per set (2.55) while sitting fifth at digs per set (14.38). Individually, Sabel Moffett has made a name for herself among the conference leaders, ranking fourth in hitting percentage (.390), fifth in blocks per set (1.38), sixth in points per set (4.29) and eighth in kills per set (3.39). Kate Nobilio, the Big Ten's active dig leader, leads the conference in digs per set (4.56) while Elyse Glab is fifth in assists per set (10.20).
For the complete weeky release, click the PDF link above.
