Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Florida International
Northwestern Drops Five-Set Heartbreaker to Florida International
8/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 29, 2009
Northwestern vs. Florida International Box Score 
2009 Northwestern Volleyball Statistics
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Northwestern pounced out to an early 2-1 lead on Florida International, but the Golden Panthers rallied to take the final two sets and hand the Wildcats a heartbreaking 18-25, 25-16, 25-17, 22-25, 11-15 loss. Junior Naomi Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) continued her stellar play at the Kentucky Classic, registering a career-best 17 kills to go along with five blocks. Junior Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) added a season-high 14 kills and six blocks for the 'Cats.
FIU came out the aggressor in the opening set, using an 8-1 run early to build an 11-4 advantage. But NU would respond with a 7-2 run of its own, trimming the deficit to two at 13-11. Unfortunately that was as close as the Wildcats could manage, as five straight points by the Golden Panthers put them ahead for good, taking set one 25-18.
Senior Ariel Baxterbeck (Menlo Park, Calif./), Johnson and sophomore Alexandra Ayers (Playa del Rey, Calif./Marymount) each recorded three kills for the 'Cats.
After trading points early in the second set, Northwestern took hold of a 5-5 tie, taking seven of the next nine points to build a 12-7 cushion behind a pair of crushing kills from Moffett. The Wildcats extended that lead to eight at 20-12 and never looked back, capturing the second set 25-16.
Moffett came up big for Northwestern, recording a set-best six kills and three blocks, while Baxterbeck, Johnson and Ayers each killed a pair of balls as well. Junior Elyse Glab (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) dished out 10 assists for the second-straight set, while senior Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) added seven digs.
Set three played out very similar to the second early on, as NU worked its way to a 13-9 edge over FIU. The Golden Panthers were able to cut the gap to three on a handful of occasions, but the 'Cats slammed the door on a possible Florida International rally, using a 6-2 run to up their lead to a set-high eight at 22-14 before sealing the 25-17 victory.
Johnson, the tallest player on the Wildcat roster, came up big with a set-high six kills, while sophomore Madalyn Shalter (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf) added five kills to the cause. Moffett also had three kills and a solo block for Northwestern.
In what would prove to be the tightest set of the match, neither team was able to gain more than a two-point lead as the Wildcats and Golden Panthers found themselves tied at the 20-point mark. But it was Florida International that ultimately pulled away, outscoring Northwestern 5-2 down the stretch to take the 25-22 victory and force the decisive fifth set.
Johnson continued to pace the Wildcats' offensive charge, knocking down five kills on nine attempts while adding a block. Moffett came through with three kills as well and Nobilio had seven digs defensively.
Florida International then carried the momentum it gained at the end of the fourth to jump out to an early 5-2 lead and never looked back. The Wildcats were able to pull to within a point at 5-4 and again at 7-6, but the Golden Panthers used a 5-1 run to put the set out of reach, capturing the match with a 15-11 decision.
The 17 kills for Johnson surpasses her previous-best of 16, which she tied last night against Kentucky. Baxterbeck and Ayers each contributed eight kills in the Northwestern attack, with Baxterbeck adding 19 digs and a pair of blocks. Ayers finished with eight kills and three blocks, with Shalter adding seven kills and 11 digs of her own.
Glab finished with 43 assists on the afternoon while Nobilio mirrored her 28-dig performance from the night before. Sophomore Mary Grace Gallagher (Atlanta, Ga./Lovett Upper School) had a pair of digs and an assist in her Wildcat debut.
Northwestern closes out its stay in the Bluegrass State later this afternoon facing Western Carolina at 4 p.m. CT. The Catamounts are 0-2 on the year, having lost in three sets to both Florida International and Kentucky during the Classic.
