Northwestern Goes for Second Win over Penn State

11/25/2015 11:27:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

By: Carsten Parmenter

NORTHWESTERN VOLLEYBALL: MATCH INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	BROADCAST	LIVE STATS
Wednesday, Nov. 25	#7 Penn State	6 p.m.	Rec Hall (University Park, Pa.)	BTN Plus	Gametracker
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EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern has to win its final two matches to be eligible for the NCAA tournament this season. Standing in the way of that goal tonight is No. 7 Penn State.

The Wildcats and Nittany Lions are set to meet at 6 p.m. CT at Rec Hall in University Park, Pa.

The match will air live on BTN Plus.

Northwestern snapped a 24-match losing streak to Penn State earlier this season, upsetting the then-third ranked Nittany Lions in five sets at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Now, the Wildcats will look to put a winning streak together against a Penn State team still fighting for a Big Ten title.

Chicago's Big Ten Team currently sits at 14-15 on the year. NCAA tournament eligibility requires an above .500 record, so the Wildcats must beat Penn State tonight and Maryland on Saturday to have an opportunity to play in the postseason.

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 .656. Oklahoma is next closest, having played a schedule with a combined winning percentage of .653. Northwestern's non-conference and Big Ten slate so far is rated the second-hardest in the country.

An Efficient Attack
Junior Maddie Slater has been incredibly efficient attacking the ball in 2015 with a .341 mark through 28 contests. Slater has recorded 204 kills on 437 attempts, while committing only 55 errors. Slater could 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 .333 mark on 201 attempts.

Defensive Dominance
Sophomore Gabrielle Hazen has been a defensive force for Northwestern all year, racking up team highs in solo blocks (20), assisted blocks (70) and total blocks (90) so far in 2015. Her strong play culminated in a career-high eight block night in a win over Michigan State on Oct. 31. Hazen tallied five solo blocks, becoming only the second Big Ten player to do so this season. She currently ranks 14th in the conference with 1.08 blocks per set.