Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Nebraska
Northwestern Set for No. 7 Nebraska, Iowa
10/19/2017 4:28:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
| NORTHWESTERN VOLLEYBALL: MATCH DAY INFORMATION | ||||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | BROADCAST | LIVE STATS | |
| Friday, Oct. 20 |
No. 7 Nebraska | 7 p.m. CT | Devaney Center Lincoln, Neb. |
BTN2Go | Huskers.com | |
| Saturday, Oct. 21 |
Iowa | 7 p.m. CT | Carver-Hawkeye Arena Iowa City, Iowa |
BTN2Go | StatBroadcast | |
| Social: Twitter (@NUVBall and @NU_SportsLive) | Instagram (@NUVBall) | Facebook Northwestern Match Notes | Nebraska Match Notes | Iowa Match Notes |
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EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern volleyball continues its path through the Big Ten gauntlet on Friday and Saturday, facing off against No. 7 Nebraska and Iowa.
PRIOR RETURNS
Northwestern has logged a 12-8 record through 20 competitions in its 2017 campaign ... NU has surpassed their win output from last season ... The 'Cats have a 40-29 set record this season, and posted a nine-match winning streak from Aug. 26 to Sept. 16.
WATCH ME, WATCH ME
Both matches will be broadcast on BTN Plus through BTN2Go.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA
Nebraska is 14-4 on the season (with a perfect 8-0 home record) and is 7-1 in conference play thus far. Last season, the Huskers finished with a 31-3 record, posting an 18-2 record in conference en route to a Big Ten championship. Nebraska captured the top seed in the 2016 NCAA tournament and reached the semifinals before losing to Texas in straight sets. As a team, Nebraska is ranked third in the Big Ten with an average of 14.25 kills per set. They are also first in the conference with an average of 35.89 attacks per set on the year and have held their opponents to a conference-low 0.155 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, middleblockers Briana Holman and Lauren Stivrins are currently ranked 14th and 15th in the conference in blocks per set, with 1.00 and 0.98 respectively.
SCOUTING IOWA
Iowa is 14-7 on the season and is 3-5 in conference play thus far. Last season, the Hawkeyes finished with a 19-13 record, posting a 9-11 record in conference. As a team, Iowa is ranked first in the conference in team assists (939), team digs (1,091) and team kills (999). Senior defensive specialist Annika Olsen ranks first in the conference with 341 total digs on the season, while first-year Brie Orr ranks second in the Big Ten with 806 total assists on the season... The Hawkeyes are currently ranked 45 in the NCAA RPI, compared to Northwestern's mark of 56.
HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
The 'Cats have been very efficient on firing away with their attacks, as their .264 team hitting percentage is 27th-best in the nation ... If you needed any reminder of how dominant the Big Ten is for volleyball, that mark is also sixth-best in the conference ... NU also ranks 59th in the nation in kills per set, which is 11th in the conference.
CHART TOPPERS
Symone Abbott leads the Big Ten with 295 kills while Nia Robinson is ranked sixth with 237. Abbott is first in the Big Ten and 17th in the nation with 4.40 kills per set while Robinson is ninth in the conference with 3.43 kills per set.
SHE'S HAZEN A GREAT SEASON
Gabrielle Hazen's .361 hitting percentage in 299 attempts (sixth-best in the Big Ten). If she can maintain that clip, she will break the program's single-season record for highest percentage (min. 400 attempts). Hazen also is sixth in the Big Ten with an average of 1.23 blocks per set.
DYNAMIC DUO
On Friday's match against Maryland, Nia Robinson and Symone Abbott became the first Wildcats' duo to notch 20+ kills since Stephanie Holthus and Katie Dutchman in 2013. Abbott's career-high 29 kills vs Maryland are tied for the fifth most in NU history in an individual match and are also tied for the most an NU player has recorded this season (last since Abbott vs Indiana on Oct. 6). Robinson's 25 kills are the third most an NU player has recorded this season.
AT THE PACE SHE'S ON...
Senior Taylor Tashima is ranked 20th in the country and fourth in the Big Ten with 11.28 assists per set ... That rate is the best of Tashima's career and would be the sixth most in program history if the season ended today ... In addition, Tashima's 778 total assists are in the top-60 in the nation and is the fourth in the Big Ten.
AN EYE ON THE RECORD BOOK
Symone Abbott (kills-5th, kills per set-2nd) and Taylor Tashima (assists-4th, assists per set-4th) both are poised to etch their names into Northwestern history with productive senior seasons.
Gabrielle Hazen is now in sixth place in career hitting-percentage, having just crossed the 1,000 TAs mark for qualification. Abbott needs just six kills to move into sole possession of fourth place (Lindsay Anderson, 1,516), while Tashima has moved into fourth place in NU history in assists.
AT YOUR SERVICE (ACE)
The Wildcats have been strong at their service game this season, as their 1.81 aces per set mark is the best in the conference and is the fourth best in the nation ... Three NU players (Tashima, Hazen, and Sarah Johnson) are currently ranked in the top-15 of the conference for aces per set.
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