Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Michigan State
Glab Reaches Milestone, But Wildcats Fall To Spartans in Five
11/26/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 26, 2010
Michigan State 3, Northwestern 2
Site: Welsh-Ryan Arena • Evanston, Ill.
Records: Northwestern (18-12, 8-11 Big Ten), Michigan State (15-16, 7-13 Big Ten)
Up Next: vs. No. 19 Michigan • Saturday, Nov. 27 • 7 p.m.
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Northwestern vs. Michigan State Box Score 
2010 Northwestern Volleyball Statistics
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Despite three different players notching at least 15 kills on the night, Northwestern fell victim to a late Michigan State rally, falling to the Spartans 23-25, 25-14, 25-22, 17-25, 8-15 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The defeat overshadowed what was a memorable night for senior Elyse Glab (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection), who recorded 53 assists on the night and moved into second-place all-time in the Northwestern record book with 4,753 career helpers.
"It was a frustrating night, as this was a win we really needed tonight," said head coach Keylor Chan. "At the end of the first set, we made some adjustments and we played really well through the middle portion of the match. But credit Michigan State who made some adjustments of their own, and it worked against us as we couldn't respond. They played well and deserved this win tonight. Fortunately, we have another match tomorrow night, so it gives us a chance to put this one behind us and try to get a big win against Michigan."
Glab's 53 assists on the night marks the eighth time this season she has dished out 50-or-more helpers. She currently sits at 1,247 for the season, which is the sixth most in program history. Glab also had five digs, three blocks and a kill for Northwestern.
Offensively, Christina Kaelin (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) and Stephanie Holthus (Burington, Ill./Central) led the way for the Wildcats with 16 kills a piece, with Holthus adding 11 digs for her 11th double-double of the season to complement her four blocks. Holthus also notched her 300th kill of the season, becoming just the 11th player in Northwestern history to record at least 300 kills in their freshman season. Kaelin added four digs and a block of her own for Northwestern.
Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) was right behind with 15 kills of her own, a .303 hitting percentage and nine blocks. Eight of her blocks were of the assisted variety, upping her career total to 412 and moving Moffett into third all-time in program history for block assists. She also increased her career block total to 496, leaving her four shy of becoming the fourth player in program history to surpass 500 career blocks.
Naomi Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) finished with nine kills and three blocks for the Wildcats, with Madalyn Shalter adding four kills, five blocks and 11 digs. Julie Chin (Naperville, Ill./North) paced the back row with 24 digs on the night, complemented by 10 from Alex Ayers (Playa del Rey, Calif./Marymount).
Northwestern faced an all-too-familiar dilemma in set one as it found itself trailing Michigan State by seven at 20-13 following an 11-2 Spartan run. But the deficit seemed to spark the Wildcats who mounted a run of their own, outscoring Michigan State 10-3 to tie the set at 23 a piece. However a pair of kills by the Spartans thwarted the Northwestern rally and gave MSU the early advantage with a 25-23 decision in set one.
Set two was a completely different story, however, as the Wildcats roared back with a pair of extended runs. Leading 7-5, Northwestern would string together a 9-4 run to take a commanding 16-9 lead, followed by an 8-4 stretch to build an 11-point advantage at 24-13, closing out set two with a dominating 25-14 result. Kaelin had a huge set for the Wildcats, knocking down five kills, with Holthus and Johnson each adding four of their own.
The momentum gained in set two carried through the intermission as Northwestern once again found itself with a comfortable lead on Michigan State, leading by an identical 16-9 margin after a 9-2 run. But the Spartans would put together a rally of its own, pulling to within two on a pair of occasions, the last coming at 23-21. But thanks to a pair of kills from Moffett, who recorded six in the set, the Wildcats held off the rally for a 25-22 victory.
But the momentum gained during that run by Michigan State late in the third seemed to energize the Spartans, who dominated set four 25-17, leading by as many as 12 at 24-12 before Northwestern made it interesting by fighting off five set points. Michigan State once again had the Wildcats staring up at an early hole in set five, recording nine of the first 13 points to take control of the decisive fifth set before closing out the match with the 15-8 win in its season finale.
The Wildcats now find themselves in a tie for seventh-place in the Big Ten standings with Indiana at 8-11 after the Hoosiers upset Illinois 3-1 in Bloomington. The loss by the Illini couple with a 3-0 win by Penn State over Iowa gives the Nittany Lions the regular season conference crown.
Northwestern now turns its sights to the regular season finale Saturday night when it hosts 19th-ranked Michigan at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The match against the Wolverines will also serve as Senior Night, as Glab, Brittani Gray (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore), Johnson, Kaelin and Moffett will be honored prior to the 7 p.m. opening serve.
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