Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Set for Homestand Against Indiana, No. 18 Purdue
10/5/2017 5:23:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
NORTHWESTERN VOLLEYBALL: MATCH DAY INFORMATION | ||||||
DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | BROADCAST | LIVE STATS | |
Friday, Oct. 6 |
Indiana | 7 p.m. CT | Historic Beardsley Gym Evanston, Ill. |
BTN2Go | NUsports.com | |
Sunday, Oct. 8 |
No. 18 Purdue | 1 p.m. CT | Historic Beardsley Gym Evanston, Ill. |
BTN2Go | NUsports.com | |
Social: Twitter (@NUVBall and @NU_SportsLive) | Instagram (@NUVBall) | Facebook Northwestern Match Notes | Indiana Match Notes HISTORIC BEARDSLEY GYM FAN GUIDE |
EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern returns for the first and second matches of four-straight competitions at home, facing off against Indiana and No. 18 Purdue at historic Beardsley Gym in Evanston Township High School on Friday, Oct. 6 and Sunday, Oct. 8. The matches will be at 7 p.m. CT and 1 p.m. CT, respectively.
WELCOME BACK, 'CATS
In conjunction with Homecoming weekend, the volleyball program will be honoring our alumnae during the Indiana match.
PRIOR RETURNS
Northwestern is having a hot start to the 2017 campaign, logging an 11-5 record through 16 competitions ... NU has surpassed their win output from last season ... The 'Cats have a 35-18 set record this season, and posted a nine-match winning streak from Aug. 26 to Sept. 16.
.485 X 5
NU's .485 hitting percentage against Rutgers (9/29) was the fifth-best clip in a single match in program history ... The squad's five attack errors tied their second-fewest in a match and is their fewest since also committing only five errors against Portland State, Sept. 14, 2013.
#FRIDAYFEELING
Northwestern's is undefeated in six Friday matches this season ... the Wildcats seek to make it seven-straight against Indiana.
WATCH ME, WATCH ME
Northwestern's matches against Indiana and No. 18 Purdue will be streamed on BTN Plus.
SCOUTING INDIANA
Indiana is 11-5 on the season and is 0-4 in conference play thus far. Last season, the Hoosiers finished with a 17-16 record, posting a 6-14 record in conference. As a team, Indiana is ranked second in the Big Ten with 772 team kills. They are also ranked second in team service aces with 90 on the season. Sophomore setter Victoria Brisack is currently ranked second in the conference for total assists with 639 as well as third in the conference in service aces with 20. Sophomore Kendall Beerman is currently ranked fifth in the conference with 3.60 kills per set ... The Hoosiers are currently ranked 68 in the NCAA RPI, compared to Northwestern's mark of 54.
SCOUTING PURDUE
The Wildcats fell to the Boilermakers in their Big Ten lidlifter in three sets, despite playing tight volleyball throughout the competition. Purdue has the second-best team hitting percentage in the nation, led by Danielle Cuttino's .392 mark, which is seventh-best in the Big Ten.
HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
The 'Cats have been very efficient on firing away with their attacks, as their .275 team hitting percentage is 18th-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 top 40 in the nation in kills per set, which is 9th in the conference.
CHART TOPPERS
Symone Abbott leads the Big Ten with 226 kills while Nia Robinson ranks eigth with 182. Only two other players from the Big Ten rank in the top-150 nationally for total kills.
Abbott is first in the Big Ten and 24th in the nation with 4.35 kills per set while Robinson is eigth in the conference with 3.43 kills per set.
SHE'S HAZEN A GREAT SEASON
Gabrielle Hazen's .416 hitting percentage is in the top-20 in the country and sixth-best in the Big Ten. Hazen also is sixth in the Big Ten with 62 total blocks. Her 2.40 kills per set is the senior's highest average in her four years at Northwestern.
AT THE PACE SHE'S ON...
Senior Taylor Tashima is ranked 17th in the country and fifth in the Big Ten with 11.40 assists per set ... That rate is the best of Tashima's career ... In addition, Tashima's 604 total assists are in the top-60 in the nation and is the fourth in the Big Ten.
AT YOUR SERVICE (ACE)
The Wildcats have been strong at their service game this season, as their 1.77 aces per set mark is the second best in the conference and is the ninth best in the nation ...Both Sarah Johnson and Taylor Tashima are both ranked in the top 10 of the conference for aces per set.
IT'S THE NAME OF THE GAME...
NU is second in the Big Ten in allowing the fewest kills per set by their opponents, as the Wildcats' opponents have combined for a 10.83 clip against Northwestern ... In the same way, NU leads the conference by allowing only 10.02 assists per set ... Indiana is in fourth at 10.39.
AN EYE ON THE RECORD BOOK
Symone Abbott (kills-7th, 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 has now moved into third place in career hitting-percentage, having just crossed the 1,000 TAs mark for qualification.
Abbott needs 40 kills to move into sole possession of sixth place (Dawn Reig, 1,481), while Tashima has just moved into fourth place in NU history in assists.
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