Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Michigan State
Wildcats Host No. 9 Spartans for Lymphoma Awareness Night
11/2/2017 6:31:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
| NORTHWESTERN VOLLEYBALL: MATCH DAY INFORMATION | ||||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | BROADCAST | RADIO | LIVE STATS |
| Saturday, Nov. 4 |
#9 Michigan State | 7 p.m. | Historic Beardsley Gym Evanston, Ill. |
BTN Plus on BTN2Go and FloVolleyball | WNUR Online | Stats |
| Social: Twitter (@NUVBall and @NU_SportsLive) | Instagram (@NUVBall) | Facebook Northwestern Match Notes |
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EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern volleyball returns home to host No. 9 Michigan State on Saturday at historic Beardsley Gym in Evanston Township High School at 7 p.m. CT.
The contest will feature a Lymphoma Awareness Night, in support of redshirt sophomore Kaitlin Tavarez, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in August.
The program is joining forces with the HEADstrong Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to providing essential services to improve lives affected by cancer. The Wildcat community is invited to visit the HEADstrong fundraising page.
Fans will receive a lime-green t-shirt, which represents the color of lymphoma awareness.
PRIOR RETURNS
Northwestern has logged a 13-12 record through 25 competitions in its 2017 campaign ... NU has surpassed their win output from last season ... The 'Cats posted a nine-match winning streak from Aug. 26 to Sept. 16.
THREE SET MAGIC
The Wildcats hit .440 as a team in their three-set sweep of Rutgers (10/25), led by first-year Nia Robinson's 24 kills ... That was tied for the most kills in a three-set match in program history, also Stephanie Holthus (Miami (OH), 9/20/2013) ... The mark was also the most by any Big Ten player in a three-set contest this year ... Next closest was a pair of 19-kill performances by Annika Albrecht and Claire Sheehan.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
Michigan State currently has a 16-6 record and is fourth in the conference. Michigan State's team average of 43 kills per set is the second highest in the Big Ten.
The team leads the conference in service aces per set, with an average of 65. Holly Toliver, Rachel Minarick, and Brooke Kranda have the second, fourth, and fifth highest individual service aces per set averages in the conference, respectively. Autumn Bailey leads the team in kills and digs, with 245 and 252, respectively, to date.
HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
The 'Cats have been very efficient on firing away with their attacks, as their .248 team hitting percentage is top-50 in the nation ... If you needed any reminder of how dominant the Big Ten is for volleyball, that mark is also 10th-best in the conference.
CHART TOPPERS
Symone Abbott leads the Big Ten with 326 kills while Nia Robinson is tied for sixth with 301. Abbott is first in the Big Ten and 20th in the nation with 4.29 kills per set while Robinson is sixth in the conference with 58 kills per set. Abbott's 29 kills per set would be the third-highest in program history if the season ended today.
SHE'S HAZEN A GREAT SEASON
Gabrielle Hazen has a .318 hitting percentage in 359 attempts ... If she can maintain that clip, she will finish the program's eighth-highest percentage in a single season (min. 400 attempts). Hazen also is seventh in the Big Ten with an average of 13 blocks per set. Her 2.06 kills per set is the senior's second highest average in her four years at Northwestern, after finishing the 2015 season with a percentage of 2.09.
DYNAMIC DUO
In the Wildcats' match against Maryland on Oct. 13, Nia Robinson and Symone Abbott became the first NU 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 25th in the country and fifth in the Big Ten with 12 assists per set ... That rate is the best of Tashima's career and would be the 10th best in program history if the season ended today ... In addition, Tashima's 934 total assists are in the top-70 in the nation and is the sixth in the Big Ten.
AN EYE ON THE RECORD BOOK
Symone Abbott (kills-4th, 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 seventh place in career hitting-percentage, having just crossed the 1,000 TAs mark for qualification. Abbott needs 77 kills to move into sole possession of third place (Erika Lange, 1,618), while Tashima has moved into fourth place in NU history in assists.
THE ROAD TO 4,000
Currently sitting at 3,978 career assists, Taylor Tashima needs 22 assists to reach 4,000 on her career. If she reaches that record, she would become one of only 46 players in Big Ten history to do so.
AT YOUR SERVICE (ACE)
The Wildcats have been strong at their service game this season, as their 64 aces per set mark is the second best in the conference and is the 10th best in the nation ... Two NU players (Taylor Tashima and Sarah Johnson) are currently ranked in the top-10 of the conference for aces per set.
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