2015 Season Opens at Rambler Challenge

Friday, August 28

Chicago, Ill.

10 a.m. CT

Northwestern

Wake Forest

2015 Season Opens at Rambler Challenge

8/26/2015 2:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

By: Carsten Parmenter

NORTHWESTERN VOLLEYBALL: MATCH INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	BROADCAST	LIVE STATS
Friday, Aug. 28	Wake Forest	10 a.m.	Gentile Arena (Chicago, Ill.)	ESPN3	Stat Broadcast
Friday, Aug. 28	New Hampshire	5 p.m.	Gentile Arena (Chicago, Ill.)	ESPN3	Stat Broadcast
Saturday, Aug. 29	Loyola	4 p.m.	Gentile Arena (Chicago, Ill.)	ESPN3	Stat Broadcast
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EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern volleyball kicks off the 2015 season with a trio of matches at the Rambler Challenge in Chicago, Ill. this Friday and Saturday. The Wildcats open the season with a 10 a.m. match Friday morning against Wake Forest at Loyola's Gentile Arena.

The busy weekend continues with a 5 p.m. match Friday evening vs. New Hampshire and it concludes on Saturday against host school Loyola at 4 p.m.

All three Northwestern matches will be streamed live on ESPN3. Links for each can be found in the weekend schedule at the top of the page.

Northwestern and the Demon Deacons have only met once before, a match at Wake Forest in 2001. Wake Forest was 16-16 a season ago and returns two members of the 2014 ACC All-Freshmen Team. New Hampshire went 20-12 last season and returns several America East All-Conference players. Northwestern has never faced New Hampshire. The Wildcats have played Loyola much more often and lead the all-time series 18-4. Northwestern has won the last three meetings.

The Wildcats have started strong in recent seasons. A year ago, Chicago's Big Ten Team got off to a 12-1 start, and in 2012, Northwestern won its first 11 matches. The 'Cats started 9-2 in 2011 and won 13 of their first 14 in 2010.

Northwestern returns four starters plus libero Caroline Niedospial from a 16-15 campaign in 2014. Niedospial led the team with 548 digs last year, the fifth-highest mark in program history. Also returning for Northwestern in 2015 are kills leader Symone Abbott and assists leader Taylor Tashima, both sophomores. Block leaders Maddie Slater and Kayla Morin, both juniors, will continue to patrol the middle for the Wildcats.

The Rambler Challenge is the first in a four-weekend stretch of non-conference tournaments. Northwestern is at the Boise State Tournament Sept. 4-5, the Holiday Inn University Plaza Invitational at Western Kentucky Sept. 11-12 and hosts the Wildcat Challenge Sept. 18-20.