Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Unveil 2012 Spring Slate
2/28/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Feb. 28, 2012
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head volleyball coach Keylor Chan unveiled his team's spring schedule Tuesday, which features a pair of scrimmages and two one-day tournaments hosted by some of the top schools from around the region during the month of April.
The slate kicks off on Thursday, April 5 when Northwestern welcomes the Marquette Golden Eagles for a scrimmage. The Golden Eagles were 24-11 advanced to the second round of the 2011 NCAA Championship with a win over No. 24 Western Kentucky before losing to the eventual national runner-up, No. 7 Illinois. The time of the scrimmage is to be announced.
On Saturday, April 14 the 'Cats will travel to play in a one-day tournament hosted by a familiar foe, the Michigan Wolverines. Play is scheduled to begin in Ann Arbor, Mich. at 9 a.m. CST. Michigan advanced all the way to the Sweet 16 at last season's NCAA Championship, where they lost to No. 16 Florida in Gainesville, Fla.
The following week, Northwestern will head west to the site of its 2010 NCAA Championship appearance, Northern Iowa. The Panthers will host a one-day affair on Saturday, April 21, with play beginning at 9 a.m. CST. Like Marquette, UNI marched to the second round of the 2011 NCAA Championship before losing to the Gators in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Chan and the 'Cats will wrap up the spring with a scrimmage against the Ohio Bobcats at in Muncie, Ind. on April 28. The time of that scrimmage is to be announced.
"We are looking forward to spring training and competition," said Chan. "This past winter we spent most of our time focused on individual skills and the spring will be an opportunity to incorporate those individual skills within team systems again."
Northwestern is looking to begin its journey back to postseason play in 2012 following a season that was ripe with great moments. Chief among those memorable performances was the match against then-No. 2 Nebraska in the regular season finale on Nov. 26, 2011. In their first-ever clash as Big Ten foes, the Wildcats took down the Huskers in four sets to secure a winning record for the third straight season under Chan.
The 'Cats also witnessed several outstanding individual efforts. Four players, Yewande Akanbi (Houston, Texas/Dawson), Julie Chin (Naperville, Ill./North), Katie Dutchman (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines) and Stephanie Holthus (Burlington, Ill./Central), garnered individual Player of the Week honors from the Big Ten throughout the season. All four are expected back on the court in 2012. In addition, Holthus was named to the All-Big Ten Team, while Dutchman was chosen as a member of the All-Freshman squad.
Northwestern's 2012 Spring Schedule
Thursday, April 5 - Practice and Scrimmage vs. Marquette (Evanston, Ill.)
Saturday, April 14 - Tournament at Michigan (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Saturday, April 21 - Tournament at Northern Iowa (Cedar Falls, Iowa)
Saturday, April 28 - Practice and Scrimmage vs. Ohio (Muncie, Ind.)
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