Northwestern Captures Tight Final Sets To Sweep Utah

8/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

Aug. 27, 2011

Site: Salt Lake City, Utah (Utah Classic)
Score: Northwestern 3, Utah 0 (25-19, 26-24, 26-24)
Records: NU (3-0), Utah (2-1)
Next NU Event: Sept. 2-3, 2011 -- at Chicago Challenge (hosted by UIC)

SALT LAKE CITY -- Facing its toughest test of the Utah Classic tournament Saturday night in Salt Lake City, Northwestern earned the tournament title with a 25-19, 26-24, 26-24 sweep of perennially tough Utah to move to a perfect 3-0 on the season.

Northwestern did not drop a set during the entire Utah Classic, earning nine-straight set victories. Saturday night's win avenged NU's only nonconference regular-season loss of 2010, a 3-2 setback at the hands of the Utes at the 29th Wildcat Classic in Evanston.

Stephanie Holthus hit .265 with 21 kills in the match, giving her 53 kills in the tournament after she put them down at a 5.9-per-set clip. The sophomore added 14 digs for her first double-double of the season.

Middles Kathryn Chrystal (.368) and Katie Dutchman (.350) each had great hitting percentages while recording nine kills apiece for the Northwestern offense. Libero Julie Chin was spectacular defensively, digging 24 Utah attacks while NU had just three team blocks at the net the entire match. Setter Madalyn Shalter had her first double-double of the year with 39 assists (13 per set) and 12 digs.

In the first set, Northwestern took advantage of three-straight Utah attack errors and a Chrystal kill to score the first four points of the match. Later, with the score tight at 21-19, kills by Yewande Akanbi, Holthus and Hannah Crippen contributed to a second 4-0 NU outburst that sealed a 25-19 victory.

Northwestern again took an early four-point lead, 7-3, in set No. 2 thanks to a 5-0 run consisting of three Akanbi kills, a Dutchman ace and a Shalter kill. The two teams would battle back-and-forth within mere points of each other until a Chrystal kill gave NU set point, 24-23. Utah staved it off one time, but back-to-back kills from Holthus and Chrystal gave Northwestern a 26-24 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Utes turned the tables in set No. 3, owning a five-point edge, 16-11, midway through the stanza. Northwestern gradually fought back, turning a 23-19 score into a 24-24 tie after two Utah attack errors, two Holthus kills and a game-tying kill from Crippen. Utah then took timeout, but Dutchman and Holthus responded with a resounding block before Dutchman ended the proceedings with her ninth kill of the evening for a second 26-24 set win and a sweep of the match.

Holthus earned Utah Classic MVP honors while Shalter and Chin both were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Northwestern returns to action Sept. 2-3 at the Chicago Challenge hosted by UIC.

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