Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Pittsburgh
Wildcats Go Two-For-Friday, Sweeping Panthers, 3-0
9/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 10, 2010
Northwestern 3, Pittsburgh 0
Baymont Inn Suites Invitational
Site: Convocation Center • Athens, Ohio
Records: Northwestern (6-1), Pittsburgh (1-8)
Up Next: at Ohio • Saturday, Sept. 11 • 1 p.m. CT
Box Score
Northwestern vs. Pittsburgh Box Score 
2010 Northwestern Volleyball Statistics
ATHENS, Ohio -- Just hours after its historic comeback victory over 14th-ranked Tennessee, Northwestern ensured there would be no sign of a let-down as the Wildcats swept Pittsburgh 25-17, 25-21, 25-22 at the Baymont Inn Suites Invitational. Naomi Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) paced the Wildcats with 12 kills and three blocks as Northwestern improved to 6-1 on the year.
"It was just a great day to be a Wildcat," said head coach Keylor Chan. "To start it off with that win against Tennessee, one of the SEC front runners, and then to follow it up with a victory over a Big East opponent in Pittsburgh, I couldn't be prouder of these girls. They came to this tournament with something to prove and each of them have responded accordingly. It's exciting to see this team play at this level at this point of the season."
Johnson was a force all night at the nets, recording her 12 kills on 20 attempts with no errors for a .600 hitting percentage. Fellow middle blocker Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) provided the other half of the Northwestern one-two punch, recording 11 kills with a pair of blocks as well.
Outside hitters Christina Kaelin (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) and Stephanie Holthus (Burlington, Ill./Central) each added eight kills to the Wildcat offensive attack, complemented by three each from Elyse Glab (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) and Gabrielle Gray (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore). Glab also had 38 assists on the evening.
Northwestern showed no signs of a let-down from the opening serve, notching the first three points of the opening set and never looking back, leading wire-to-wire to claim the 25-17 victory. Sets two and three saw the Panthers battle the Wildcats nearly point for point, but both times Northwestern used its size to pull away late, taking set two 25-21 before closing out the match with a 25-22 decision in set three.
The sweep came on the heels of the Wildcat's thrilling comeback victory over 14th-ranked Tennessee early in the day. Trailing the Lady Vols 2-0, Northwestern rallied to take the final three sets, giving the 'Cats their first victory over a ranked foe since a 3-2 win over 17th-ranked Illinois in 2008.
Northwestern now sets its sights on capturing the Baymont Inn Suites Invitational title, taking on the host Bobcats at the Convocation Center at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 11. The match will be streamed live with Gametracker live stats available at NUsports.com.
MATCH NOTES
• Northwestern improves to 4-1 all-time against Pittsburgh and have won the last four meetings against the Panthers.
• The Wildcats have won their last nine meetings against Big East opponents, dating back to the 2002 season.
• Gabrielle Gray has yet to make an attack error, recording six kills on 10 attempts with no errors in the first two matches of her Wildcat career.
• Julie Chin (Naperville, Ill./North) led Northwestern with 12 digs, followed by 11 from Alex Ayers (Playa del Rey, Calif./Marymount), who also added a pair of service aces.
********************
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats! -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter and become a fan of Northwestern Volleyball on Facebook! Get the latest news, schedule updates, video and interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!
