Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Commences 2009 Campaign at Kentucky Classic
8/26/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 26, 2009
Northwestern Volleyball Weekly Release - August 26 
Opening Serve
Northwestern opens the 2009 volleyball season by traveling south to Lexington, Ky., competing in the Kentucky Classic. NU faces host Kentucky in a battle of the Wildcats on Friday, Aug. 28, before taking on Florida International and Western Carolina in a Saturday doubleheader. All matches will be held at Memorial Coliseum on the University of Kentucky campus.
Wildcats on the Web
Fans unable to make it to Lexington this weekend for the Kentucky Classic will still be able to follow every Wildcat point. Gametracker live stats of all three matches will be up and running, and a live video feed of Northwestern's showdown with Kentucky Friday evening will also be available.
Scouting the Wildcats
Kentucky is coming off an impressive 2008 campaign, finishing the season ranked 22nd with a 26-6 overall record. The Wildcats finished second in the SEC and qualified for the NCAA tournament. UK returns all but one starter from last year's squad, including the junior outside hitting duo of Sarah Mendoza and Lauren Rapp. Mendoza led the Wildcats in kills (385) and was second in both digs (318) and solo blocks (13). Rapp also eclipsed the 300-kill plateau, finishing with 338 to go along with a .301 hitting percentage and 109 total blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Becky Pavan looks to build off her impressive freshman campaign in which she tallied 212 kills and led Kentucky in blocking with 16 solo blocks and 124 block assists. Senior setter Sarah Rumley dished out 1,215 assists in 2008 to go along with 131 kills and 103 total blocks, and senior libero BriAnne Sauer recorded 497 digs, averaging 4.21 per set. Head coach Craig Skinner is beginning his fifth season in Lexington with an overall record of 84-40 (.677).
Scouting the Golden Panthers
Florida International is looking to build off a successful 2008 campaign in which it finished 28-7, captured the Sun Belt Conference championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament. FIU returns its entire starting lineup, anchored by senior outside hitter Yarimar Rosa, who led the nation in kills per set last year at 5.21, recording 657 on the year. She also led the team in solo blocks (13) while ranking second in hitting percentage (.283) and third in total blocks (81). Rosa will again be joined by senior outside hitter Isadora Rangel, who added 362 kills in 2008, forming one of the most dangerous duos in the country. The sophomore middle blocker duo of Andrea Lakovic and Sabrina Gonzalez should each have impressive seasons once again for the Golden Panthers after combining for 358 kills and 196 blocks in their freshman campaigns. Junior setter Natalia Valentin recorded 1,376 assists to go along with 91 kills and a team-best 51 service aces last season, with sophomore libero Angelina Colon adding 255 digs. Head coach Danijela Tomic has recorded an 86-36 (.705) record in her first four years at FIU.
Scouting the Catamounts
Western Carolina starts a new chapter under first year head coach Manuel Concepcion after finishing 6-26 in 2008. The Catamounts return their entire starting lineup in 2009, including sophomore middle blocker Carrie Minogue who led the squad with 252 kills, a .229 hitting percentage and 26 solo blocks. She will be joined again by fellow sophomore middle blocker Rebecca Stoltz, who finished her freshman campaign with 173 kills and a team-best 80 total blocks, and senior middle blocker Amanda Kerr's 250 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Brittany Lysik ranked third with 200 kills in 2008 to go along with 22 service aces, while junior outside hitter Kara Lynzee Brooks added 100 kills and 31 blocks of her own. Senior setter Katie Hennessey was a consistent all-around threat for Western Carolina, dishing out 875 assists while adding 134 kills, 50 blocks and a team-best 26 service aces. Senior libero Liz Rondone recorded 439 kills for the Catamounts, averaging 4.53 per set with 18 service aces.
Series Information
Northwestern and Kentucky meet up for the sixth time Friday evening, with NU holding a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series after a 3-0 decision in Evanston in 2005. Prior to that, the teams went head-to-head four times from 1980-82, with Northwestern winning a three-set and five-set match in Lexington in the 1981 Kentucky Invitational. UK defeated NU 2-0 in the 1980 AIAW national tournament, and took a five-set decision at the 1982 Purdue Invitational. This will be the first meeting for Northwestern against both Florida International and Western Carolina.
Chan Begins 10th Season at Helm of Wildcats
Head coach Keylor Chan gets ready to commence his 10th season in Evanston, entering the 2009 campaign with a 122-154 (.442) record at the helm of the Wildcats. Chan, who ranks second in program history in both overall victories (122) and Big Ten victories (63), is 140-169 (.453) in 11 years as a head coach, including a one-year stint at Furman in 1999. Chan enters the season as the fifth-longest active tenured coach in the Big Ten while remaining one of the conference's youngest coaches.
Wildcats Face Another Challenging Schedule in 2009
When you compete in the Big Ten Conference, a challenging schedule is pretty much a given, and 2009 will be no different for Northwestern. The Wildcats will play 16 matches against 11 teams that qualified for the 2008 NCAA tournament, six of which are ranked in the AVCA Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll. NU will meet up with SEC runner-up Kentucky, Florida International, Miami (Ohio), Western Kentucky, Long Island and Cincinnati in preseason tournaments - all of which advanced to the round of 64 last winter. When it comes to Big Ten play, the Wildcats will hit the ground running, hosting two-time defending Penn State at Welsh-Ryan Arena in the conference opener Sept. 25.
Volleyball Season Tickets Now On Sale
Season tickets for the 2009 Northwestern Volleyball season are now on sale. Adults can purchase season tickets to volleyball for just $35, a 60% savings off regularly priced tickets. Youth (age 18 and under) can purchase season tickets to volleyball for just $20, saving you over $30 off regularly priced tickets. Northwestern also offers a Season Ticket Family Plan, which includes 2 adults and 3 youth to every regular season match for just $70, a $268 value. Tickets can be purchased by calling (847) 491-CATS or clicking on the ticket link at NUsports.com.
For the complete weekly release, click on the PDF link at the top of the page.
