Northwestern University Athletics
Season Recap: Positive 2009 Has Wildcats Eager For Future
12/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Dec. 21, 2009
Final 2009 Northwestern Volleyball Release 
Opening Serve
Despite narrowly missing the NCAA tournament, 2009 will be viewed as a successful season for Northwestern. The Wildcats won 16 matches, doubling its total from the previous season, including defeating four teams that qualified for the 2008 tournament (Miami (Ohio), Long Island, Cincinnati and Purdue). But the biggest source of optimism for Northwestern was in Big Ten play where NU posted a 7-13 record and finished in sole possession of sixth-place.
Nobilio, Moffett Garner All-Big Ten, National Honors
For the first time in program history, Northwestern had a pair of players recognized among the nation's best. Kate Nobilio and Sabel Moffett were both named to the AVCA All-America Honorable Mention team after both garnered Mideast Region All-America honors. It marks the first time a Wildcat has been named an All-American since Madelyn Meneghetti in 1984. The award came on the heels of honors from the Big Ten, as Nobilio was named the Defensive Player of the Year and Moffett earned All-Big Ten recognition. Nobilio, who finished her career second all-time among the Big Ten dig leaders, becomes the first Wildcat to be named the Defensive Player of the Year after leading the conference in both total digs (529) and digs per set (4.60). Moffett ranked among the conference leaders in four categories, including leading the Big Ten with 28 solo blocks. Her .349 hitting percentage also set a new single-season high for the program. It marks the first time since Shelley Brzozowski and Stephanie Kammes both received All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition in 1989 that two Wildcats have received All-Big Ten honors.
Wildcats Notch Handful of Milestones in 2009
Though Northwestern came up just short of an NCAA tournament appearance, a number of team milestones were reached on the court in 2009. The Wildcats defeated four teams who were coming off an NCAA tournament appearance in 2008 (Miami (Ohio), Long Island, Cincinnati and Purdue) and another who qualified for the 2009 tourney (Michigan State). The victory over the Boilermakers on Oct. 10 marked the first over Purdue since 2005, and the win in West Lafayette marked NU's first sweep of Purdue since 2004. The 'Cats also snapped an 11-match losing skid to border rival Wisconsin, defeating the Badgers at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Nov. 20 for the first victory over Wisconsin since 2003. Northwestern also set a new team record for fewest hitting errors in a match not once but three times, recording just seven errors in the victories over West Carolina, IUPUI and Presbyterian.
Keylor Chan Notches His 150th Career Victory
With the thrilling five-set win over Purdue at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Oct. 10, head coach Keylor Chan notched his 150th career victory. Chan, the second-longest tenured coach in program history, concludes his 10th season in Evanston with a 138-170 overall mark at the helm of the Wildcats and is 156-185 overall in 11 years as a head coach. His 138 career victories and 70 Big Ten wins both rank second in program history, while his .448 winning percentage ranks third all-time.
Nobilio Leaves Mark on Both Northwestern, Big Ten Record Books
Kate Nobilio, who had already cemented her legacy as Northwestern's all-time digs leader, wrapped up her career by making her mark on the Big Ten record book as well. The conference's Defensive Player of the Year, Nobilio finished her career with 2,194 digs, ranking second all-time in Big Ten history. A five-time Defensive Player of the Week, including three honors in 2009, Nobilio recorded at least 500 digs all four years in a Wildcat uniform, including a program-best 603 in 2007. She holds four of the top-five single-season dig marks in Northwestern history, while leaving Evanston as the Wildcats single-match (38 at Dayton, 2008), single-season and career dig leader.
Moffett's Breakout Year Key to Wildcats' Success
Arguably the Big Ten's breakout player for 2009, Sabel Moffett was a key player in Northwestern's success. Moffett, who lead the team with 398 kills and 165 blocks, set a new program single-season record with her .349 hitting percentage. A major factor at the nets all season, her 137 block assists and 165 total blocks both rank third all-time in program history for a season. An All-Big Ten selection, Moffett ranked among the conference leaders in a handful of categories, sitting fifth in blocks per set (1.40) and sixth in kills per set (3.37), hitting percentage (.349) and points per set (4.25).
Glab Continues To Move Up Wildcat Assist List
Elyse Glab has been a key factor for the Wildcats since her first match as a freshman as she continues to move up the program's all-time assist list. Glab notched 1,196 assists on the year, the ninth-best single-season performance in school history for her third-straight 1,000 helper campaign. Glab surpassed Andrea Proos for fourth all-time in Northwestern history at Michigan State on Oct. 3, and became just the fourth player in program history to record her 3,000th career assist against Minnesota on Oct. 17. She enters her senior season just 128 assists shy of moving into third-place all-time in Wildcat history.
Johnson Helps Make Wildcat Middle Blockers One of Big Ten's Best
Naomi Johnson made the move back to middle blocker prior to the 2009 season, and it resulted in her most productive season in a Wildcat uniform. Johnson ranked second on the team in kills (313), hitting percentage (.288), solo blocks (18), block assists (90) and total blocks (108) -- all of which were personal-bests. She also proved she was dangerous on the serve, as her 32 service aces led the team while her 0.27 per set ranked seventh in the Big Ten.
Baxterbeck Closes Out Wildcat Career With Numerous Personal Bests
Ariel Baxterbeck, whose career in Evanston had been plagued by injuries, came through with the best season of her career as a senior. Despite injuring her shoulder before the season began, Baxterbeck managed career-highs in nearly every statistical category, ranking third on the team in kills (228), second in digs (290) and fifth in blocks (53). One of the team's most consistent players, she started all 32 matches for the Wildcats and was the only player to surpass the 200 mark in both kills and digs.
Ayers, Chrystal Provide Consistency For Northwestern
Alexandra Ayers and Kathryn Chrystal were both asked to play a number of roles for Northwestern in 2009, with both providing much-needed consistency. Ayers notched 23 starts on the year for the Wildcats, notching 132 kills, 226 digs, 19 service aces and 19 blocks for Northwestern. Chrystal, seeing her first action after redshirting in 2008, finished with 104 kills, a .249 hitting percentage and 77 blocks (ranking third on the squad) in 23 starts for the 'Cats. Along with the 119 kills from Brittani Gray, Northwestern finished the year with six players boasting more than 100-kills.
Record 10 Wildcats Earn Academic All-Big Ten Honors
Not only was 2009 a success on the court for the Wildcats, but it was a major success in the classroom as well. A record 10 players were named Academic All-Big Ten, part of a conference-best 81 selections from all of Northwestern's fall sports. Ariel Baxterbeck and Sabel Moffett each received the third honor of their careers, while Elyse Glab and Naomi Johnson were honored for the second time. Alexandra Ayers, Kathryn Chrystal, Mary Grace Gallagher, Brittani Gray, Madalyn Shalter and Natalie Taylor each notched the first Academic All-Big Ten honor of their careers. To be eligible for consideration, players must be in their second academic year at their institution, be a letterwinner and have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.
For the complete 2009 Final Release, click the PDF link above.
