Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Release 2012 Volleyball Schedule
6/26/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
June 26, 2012
2012 Schedule
EVANSTON, Ill.-- Northwestern head volleyball coach Keylor Chan lifted the veil off of the 2012 regular season schedule Tuesday. The Wildcats will play in four nonconference tournaments this season, punctuated by the 31st edition of the Wildcat Classic Sept. 14-16, before navigating through the daunting 20-match Big Ten slate.
Of Northwestern's 22 opponents listed on the 2012 schedule, 12 of them appeared in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Of those 12 qualifiers, 10 teams won at least one match in postseason play, while three advanced to quarterfinal round.
"The 'Cats took a big step in the process last season," said Chan. "We were a young team in 2011 and we welcome back most of the key contributors from that team this year. We started to understand what it takes to win at a high level and I know that we can build on that feeling moving forward. I'm excited to start every season and this year is shaping up to be one of the most exciting that we've had."
The 2012 campaign kicks off for NU on Saturday, Aug. 25 when the Wildcats take a quick trip north on Interstate 94 to Milwaukee, Wis. for the Marquette Challenge. The Wildcats will take on Bowling Green in their season opener on Aug. 25 before tangling with the host Golden Eagles on Sunday, Aug. 26.
"Marquette had a terrific season in 2011 that culminated with an NCAA Tournament appearance," said Chan. "Bowling Green will also be energized to start the year with a new head coach leading its program. Both teams will provide great challenges as we get the season underway."
The Golden Eagles advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Illinois, the 2011 national runner-up. New head coach Danijela Tomic comes to Bowling Green after spending seven seasons at Florida International where she was named the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year three times.
The following weekend the Wildcats will head west to Las Cruces, N.M. for a tournament at New Mexico State. The Aggies came to Evanston for the Wildcat Classic last season, so the 'Cats will return the favor with a visit over Labor Day weekend. On Aug. 31 NU will play the Drake Bulldogs to begin the tournament. The Wildcats will also play a pair of matches against Cincinnati and host NMSU on Sept. 1.
"The field at New Mexico State is extremely talented and deep," said Chan. "We have to be prepared for three tough battles against strong teams that weekend. This tournament should give us a very good understanding of where we stand early on in the season."
Cincinnati won the 2011 BIG EAST Tournament and has won 20 or more matches in 11 of the last 12 seasons. New Mexico State also won more than 20 matches overall in 2011 while playing in the highly competitive Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The Wildcats won the match versus the Aggies in straight sets on Sept. 17, 2011.
Northwestern will travel east to New Haven, Conn. in the season's third weekend for the Yale Classic. The 'Cats will open the event with a match against Brown on Sept. 7 and play both Villanova and Yale on Sept. 8.
"It will be great for us to head to the east coast to take on some teams that we're not necessarily as familiar with," said Chan. "It's also an opportunity for us to go up against a group of schools that share our belief in placing a strong emphasis on academics."
After spending the first three weekends away from home Northwestern will make its home debut at the 31st installment of the Wildcat Classic on Sept. 14. The 'Cats will play Delaware on the first day of competition at noon and conclude the evening session that day with a tilt against Saint Louis at 7 p.m.
Northwestern's football game against Boston College on Saturday, Sept. 15 has led to some unorthodox scheduling of the Wildcat Classic. With the gridiron affair set for 2:30 p.m., the second day of the volleyball tournament will feature only one match between Delaware and Saint Louis at 7:30 p.m. inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The 31st Wildcat Classic will wrap up on Sunday, Sept. 16 when NU will play the Mid-American Conference's Western Michigan Broncos in a 1 p.m. matinee.
"This year's Wildcat Classic boasts the most talented group of four teams that we've welcomed in quite some time," said Chan. "Both Delaware and Western Michigan are coming off NCAA tournament appearances, while Saint Louis is a lot like us in that they were a young team last year and showed several signs of improvement as the season went on. To be able to host such high quality competition to open our home schedule is special."
Delaware knocked off American University in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament last season. The Blue Hens were eliminated in the second round by another Big Ten foe, Penn State. Western Michigan lost in four sets to Washington in its first round match. The Billikens graduated only two seniors from last year's squad that won 15 matches.
Northwestern currently carries a 25-8 all-time record against its 2012 nonconference opponents. The Wildcats have lost once each to Bowling Green and Drake and are 6-6 all-time against Western Michigan. NU is 13-0 against its remaining seven opponents.
The Wildcats begin Big Ten play on Sept. 21 at Welsh-Ryan Arena against the Wisconsin Badgers. After a day off NU will host Minnesota in a Sunday matinee on Sept. 23. Following those tilts with the Badgers and Golden Gophers, the 'Cats will play seven of their next 10 matches away from home between Sept. 28 at Purdue and Oct. 28 at Wisconsin. Northwestern will host Penn State (Oct. 5), Ohio State (Oct. 6) and Iowa (Oct. 21) in Evanston during that stretch.
"It isn't an overwhelming concern that we're away a bunch in the first month of conference play," said Chan. "Of course its tough to win anywhere on the road in the Big Ten, but the majority of our team has gone through the grind of a conference schedule at least once by now and they should know what to expect."
After spending the better part of a month on the road, Northwestern will close the regular season with five of eight matches, including three of the last four, on its home floor between Nov. 2 and Nov. 24.
The Big Ten slate concludes on Nov. 24 with Northwestern's first trip to Lincoln, Neb. since its Cornhuskers officially joined the Big Ten a year ago. In the first meeting as conference foes in Evanston last season, the Wildcats bested the then-second-ranked Huskers, 3-1. The victory was the first for the 'Cats in five tries against Nebraska. In fact, Northwestern had not won a set in 11 tries until the premiere frame against the 2011 Big Ten Champions.
"The benefit of playing so many road matches early in the schedule is that we're able to play in our house down the stretch," said Chan. "It's important to protect your floor as you make that final push for a postseason bid. To get back to where we want to be, we need to continue to play well at home."
Season tickets for Northwestern volleyball will go on sale Monday, July 2. Single-match tickets for all 13 home dates at Welsh-Ryan Arena will also be available beginning Aug. 2. All tickets will be available for purchase online at NUsports.com or by calling the ticket office at 1-888-GO-PURPLE (467-8775).
The 2012 NCAA Tournament begins with first round matches on Nov. 29. The semifinals and final will be held Dec. 13-15 in Louisville, Ky.
For a complete look at the 2012 schedule including dates and times, please click on the Schedule link at the top of this page.
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