Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Set to Defend Chicago Challenge Title
8/31/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 31, 2011
Northwestern's Chicago Challenge Weekly Release (PDF Format) 
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern makes a short trip down to UIC's campus just south of the loop this weekend, Sept. 2-3, for the Chicago Challenge. NU opens at 5 p.m. CT Friday, Sept. 2, against Loyola (Chicago), with the winner advancing to Saturday's championship match against either DePaul or the host Flames at 7 p.m. CT.
Northwestern is the defending Chicago Challenge champion and has won seven overall titles in the event. The 2011 edition will mark the 11th time the Wildcats have participated in the tournament.
NU Sweeps Big Ten Offensive, Defensive POW Awards For First Time Since 2005
Sophomore outside hitter Stephanie Holthus and junior libero Julie Chin combined to win both the Big Ten Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week awards after the season's opening weekend, becoming the first NU duo to perform that feat since Lindsay Anderson (O) and Christie Gardner (D) on Nov. 7, 2005. Holthus led the Big Ten with 5.89 kills per set (second-place had 4.50 k/s) en route to MVP honors at the Utah Classic. She racked up a career-high 21 kills in a sweep of the host Utes after handing 16 kills each on Cal State Northridge and Weber State. Holthus also recorded her first double-double of 2011 with 14 digs against Utah.
Chin led the Big Ten with 6.22 digs--the only conference libero to surpass the 6.0 mark on opening weekend--to earn a spot on the Utah Classic All-Tournament team. Chin dug 16 attacks each versus Cal State Northridge and Weber State before her big performance, a 24-dig effort in a sweep of Utah. The total was just two shy of her career high, which was set Oct. 2, 2010, in a five-set match against then-No. 7 Illinois. It also came in a match where NU's front row defense made just 3.0 total blocks.
Madalyn Shalter Makes Stunning Debut as Northwestern's Setter
Fourth-year junior Madalyn Shalter stepped into the starting setter role at the season-opening Utah Classic and performed as if she had been playing there her whole career. Though four-year starter and second-leading-assister-in-NU-history Elyse Glab graduated just last year, Shalter already has proven herself to be a worthy successor. Shalter led the Big Ten in assists during the season's opening weekend, racking up 114 total for a 12.67 assists per set average. She recorded 36 assists in NU's lid-lifter against Cal State Northridge before establishing and matching her career-high with 39 in sweeps of Weber State and Utah. Shalter also dug 12 attacks against the Utes for her first double-double of the season. For her efforts, Shalter earned a place on the Utah Classic All-Tournament team.
We Were Merely Freshmen
Youth will be served for Northwestern in 2011. At the season-opening Utah Classic, four true or redshirt-freshmen saw significant action, including a trio who made a combined eight starts. Second-year Wildcat Katie Dutchman made a great debut in the middle, hitting .378 (ninth-best in the Big Ten after Week One) with 19 kills on 45 swings against just two errors. She also made 11 blocks and aced the opposition three times. Yewande Akanbi started two matches, ranking second on the team with 22 kills in Salt Lake City. Hannah Crippen--recruited as a setter--started all three matches on the right side and notched 14 kills while defensive specialist Caroline Niedospial saw action in all three matches, making 12 digs.
For Northwestern's complete Chicago Challenge Weekly Release including snapshots of the three other teams in the tournament, download the .pdf at the top of this page.
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