Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Ohio
Wildcats Capture Ohio Tournament Title, Downing Bobcats, 3-1
9/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 11, 2010
Northwestern 3, Ohio 1
Baymont Inn Suites Invitational
Site: Convocation Center - Athens, Ohio
Records: Northwestern (7-1), Ohio (6-4)
Up Next: 29th Annual Wildcat Classic - Sept. 17 and 18
Box Score
Northwestern at Ohio Box Score 
2010 Northwestern Volleyball Statistics
ATHENS, Ohio -- Northwestern made the most of its weekend in the Buckeye state, dropping the host Bobcats 25-20, 25-16, 24-26, 25-16 to capture the Baymont Inn Suites Invitational title. The Wildcat middle blocking duo of Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) and Naomi Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) combining for 26 kills and 13 blocks en route to being named to the all-tournament team, with Moffett garnering MVP honors.
"I couldn't be more proud of the girls than I have been this weekend," said head coach Keylor Chan. "We knew coming into this weekend we would have to play at the top of our game against three extremely good teams, and the girls definitely rose to the challenge. To be able to take a four-set victory against Ohio on its home court was the cap to a great tournament. Naomi and Sabel were phenomenal up front, and everyone that stepped on the court did exactly what we needed them to do. I'm just excited to build on the momentum gained this weekend and we move forward in the season."
The match against Ohio completed an impressive weekend for Johnson, who finished with a team-best 14 kills on 26 attempts with just one error for a .500 hitting percentage. She also led the Wildcats with nine blocks, including three solo, to go along with a career-best four service aces.
Moffett, who picked up her second tournament MVP accolade of the season, posted 12 kills with four blocks. Stephanie Holthus (Burlington, Ill./Central) tied a career-best with 11 kills against the Bobcats, complemented by three blocks and 10 digs. Christina Kaelin (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) added nine kills to the Northwestern offensive attack.
With the tournament title on the line, Northwestern came out firing early against the host Bobcats. Trailing 8-7 to Ohio, the Wildcats would go on a 9-2 run to gain control of the opening set at 16-10. The Bobcats would pull to within one at 18-17, but NU would tally seven of the final 10 points, with a kill from Holthus sealing the opening set 25-20.
That momentum carried into set two as Northwestern built up a commanding 20-11 lead and never looked back, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-16 victory.
Northwestern looked to close out the tournament with a sweep against Ohio, but the Bobcats wold rally late to take a competitive set three 26-24. But that did little to derail the Wildcat attack as Northwestern asserted itself once again, building a 20-14 edge in set four before closing out the afternoon on a 5-2 run, capped by Johnson's 14th kill of the match.
Chan and the Wildcats now get to return home for the final tournament of the preseason, hosting the 29th annual Wildcat Classic Friday, Sept. 17 and Saturday, Sept. 18. Northwestern opens up the Classic against Charlotte at 7 p.m. Friday night before a Saturday double-header against Harvard (noon) and Marquette (7 p.m.).
MATCH NOTES
* Northwestern improves to 2-0 all-time against Ohio, building on its 3-2 victory over the Bobcats in 1996.
* Moffett and Johnson each picked up their third all-tournament honors of the season with Moffett earning her second MVP award of the year (Chicagoland Classic).
* The victory over Ohio was Northwestern's first road victory of the year. The Wildcats have four neutral site wins and two home victories on the year.
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