NU to Battle at Iowa, vs. Ohio State

10/22/2018 11:32:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

2018 NORTHWESTERN VOLLEYBALL
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME (CT)	LOCATION	WATCH	LISTEN	LIVE STATS
Wednesday, Oct. 24	Iowa	8 p.m.	Iowa City, Iowa (Carver-Hawkeye Arena)	Big Ten Network	N/A	http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=235085Statbroadcast
Sunday, Oct. 28	Ohio State	1 p.m.	Evanston, Ill. (Evanston Township HS)	BTN Plus	WNUR	NUsports
Social: Twitter (@NUVBall and @NU_SportsLive) \| Instagram (@NUVBall) \| Facebook Northwestern Match Notes

EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern volleyball is prepped for a pair of Big Ten matches this week, including a Big Ten Network showdown at Iowa on Wednesday, Oct. 24. The Wildcats will also battle Ohio State on Sunday, Oct. 28, in NU's finale at the historic Beardsley Gym.

Sunday's match will be NU's Halloween celebration with free, limited-edition Halloween t-shirts for early-arriving fans. Face painters will be on site, and any child wearing a costume will be eligible to participate in an on-court "Trick or Treating Parade" during Intermission.

News and notes...

HOME AND HOME: Northwestern volleyball is in the midst of its 43rd season of intercollegiate competition ... The 'Cats will play a midweek match against Iowa (Oct. 24) on Big Ten Network and then return home for the historic Beardsley Gym finale on Oct. 28 against Ohio State.

WHO? WHAT!: Northwestern is 43-31-1 against Iowa all-time ... The Wildcats dropped a five-set thriller to the Hawkeyes on September 30 ... NU has won 10 of their last 15 matchups against Iowa ... The 'Cats are also meeting up with OSU for the 76th time in program history.

BUMP, SET, SPIKE: Sophomore Nia Robinson has been one of the most prolific scorers in the conference, as her 3.97 kills per set mark is fourth in the Big Ten, trailing Erika Pritchard (MD), Jacqueline Quade (ILL), and Carly Skjodt (MICH).

BIG THANK YOU TO BEARDSLEY: On Sunday, the Wildcats will play their final home match at historic Beardsley Gym ... NU played at Evanston Township High School's home gym for the 2017 season, in addition to the first six home matches of the 2018 year.

HOME SWEET HOME: Northwestern will play its last four home matches at the new Welsh-Ryan Arena, starting with a 7 p.m. debut against Penn State on November 9. The Arena has undergone $110 million in renovations in order to deliver a world-class experience for student-athletes and fans alike.

WHAT IS A 'YOUT?': The Northwestern squad is comprised of six first years, seven sophomores, four juniors, and no seniors.

That means that 13 out of 17 players on the team are underclassmen (76 percent). In the Big Ten, only Michigan State (12-of-15 players) surpasses Northwestern's clip — but the raw number of 13 are the most underclassmen on any single Big Ten roster.

TEAM TRIVIA: Northwestern has allowed the fifth-fewest digs per set by opponents (13.82) in Big Ten play.

DOING NUMBERS: Nia Robinson amassed a career-high tying 25 kills against Iowa (Sept. 30), tied for the fourth-most in a single match by a Big Ten player this season.

RANKING RUMBLINGS: According to PrepVolleyball.com, Northwestern's Class of 2022 is the 18th-best recruiting class in the nation.

IS 300 WINS A LOT? IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT: With a 3-0 sweep over Michigan State, NU head coach Shane Davis, amassed his 300th career win, between both Loyola and Northwestern.

CAN YOU DIG IT?: Local product Michelle Lee (Naperville, Ill.) owns a 3.35 digs per set clip, good for third-best in the Big Ten among rookies.

YEAH, THAT'S A BIG NUMBER: Sophomore Alana Walker posted a hitting percentage of .900 in NU's win over Colgate on Aug. 31 ... She had nine kills on 10 swings with no errors ... The output was the second-best in Wildcat history, trailing only Kim Ludwig's .917 clip against Milwaukee on Sept. 17, 1994.

DOUBLE YOUR LUCK: Five different players have posted 10 double-doubles, led by Kiara McNulty's four, most recently against Stephen F. Austin (Sept. 1).

PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM: This is the third season under head coach Shane Davis, a two-time national champion head coach while helming the men's volleyball team at Loyola-Chicago. His .750 winning percentage with the Ramblers is the sixth-best in NCAA men's volleyball history among coaches with five or more seasons.

Davis brought with him the leadership of associate head coach Erin Virtue and assistant coach Kevin Moore — both of whom are also in their third seasons in their role.

ROAD WARRIORS: The Wildcats played their first 14 matches on the road until NU's contest against Nebraska at historic Beardsley Gym.