B1G Weekend Matches on Tap for the #B1GCats

10/29/2015 12:43:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

By: Carsten Parmenter

NORTHWESTERN VOLLEYBALL: MATCH INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	BROADCAST	LIVE STATS
Friday, October 30	#25 Michigan	7 p.m.	Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, Ill.)	BTN Plus	Sidearm
Saturday, October 31	Michigan State	6 p.m.	Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, Ill.)	BTN / BTN2Go	Sidearm
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EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern volleyball returns home to Welsh-Ryan Arena this weekend for a pair of matches that could go a long way in determining position in a crowded Big Ten race.

The Wildcats (12-9, 4-6) are just a match back of No. 25 Michigan (15-6, 5-5) and play host to the Wolverines on Friday night at 7 p.m. Michigan State (14-7, 6-4) comes to town on Saturday for a 6 p.m. match.

Saturday night's contest will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. Mike Wolf and Audrey Flaugh will be on the call.

That match will also be Northwestern's annual Dig Pink night in awareness of the fight against breast cancer. Pink t-shirts will be tossed into the crowd at various points during the contest.

The Northwestern Police Department and Evanston Fire Department will play an exhibition set of volleyball ("Battle of the Badges") during intermission of Friday's match vs. Michigan.

The Wildcats are 4-2 at home this season, including an upset of No. 3 Penn State on Oct. 10. This weekend begins a stretch where Chicago's Big Ten Team plays five of six matches at home, all against teams in the top-25 or receiving votes in the weekly AVCA coaches poll.

Nation's Most Tested
Northwestern has the toughest schedule in the nation based off of opponents' won-loss record. The Wildcats opponents, past and future, in 2015 have compiled a cumulative winning percentage of .673. The next closest is Oklahoma, whose opponents' average is .662. Northwestern's non-conference and early Big Ten slate is rated the third-hardest in the country, while its future schedule in conference play is rated the seventh-toughest. The Wildcats' remaining opponents have combined for a .683 winning percentage.

An Efficient Attack
Junior Maddie Slater has been incredibly efficient attacking the ball in 2015 with a .361 mark through 21 contests. Slater has recorded 148 kills on 302 attempts, while committing only 39 errors. If she can continue her hitting pace, Slater will finish No. 1 on the single-season attack percentage list at Northwestern. The current leader is Sabel Moffett, who hit .349 in 2009. Slater's teammate, sophomore Taylor Tashima, is also hitting the ball remarkably well with a .359 mark.

Dig It
Carks Niedospial is on pace to rank among the best liberos in program history. The senior currently sits in third place all-time with 1,628 digs. She trails Christie Gardner by only 30 for second-place in Northwestern program history. She has the fourth (553 in 2013) and fifth (548 in 2014) highest single-season dig totals in Wildcat volleyball history.

Northwestern All-Time Dig Leaders
1. Kate Nobilio          2006-09         2,194
2. Christie Gardner 2002-05         1,658
3. Carks Niedospial 2011-Pres.    1,628
4. Janine Makar         1985-88         1,430
5. Julie Chin               2009-12         1,415

Where They Rank
Caroline Niedospial leads the Big Ten with 4.84 digs per set. Niedospial holds a sizeable advantage over Annika Olsen of Iowa, who averages 4.76 per game. The Northwestern senior ranks 46th among all D1 student-athletes in that category. Taylor Tashima is also among the best in the conference with 10.74 assists per set, good for seventh in that category. Abbie Kraus leads the Big Ten in service aces and is second in aces per game, and Maddie Slater has settled into top territory with her .361 mark.