Wildcats Open Season With Three-Match Tournament in Milwaukee
8/22/2018 5:10:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
| 2018 NORTHWESTERN VOLLEYBALL | ||||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME (CT) | LOCATION | WATCH | LISTEN | LIVE STATS |
| Friday, Aug. 24 |
South Dakota | 10 a.m. | Milwaukee, Wis. | Black & Gold Network | N/A | StatBroadcast |
| Friday, Aug. 24 |
New Hampshire | 5 p.m. | Milwaukee, Wis. | Black & Gold Network | N/A | StatBroadcast |
| Saturday, Aug. 25 | Milwaukee | 3 p.m. | Milwaukee, Wis. | ESPN+ | N/A | StatBroadcast |
| Social: Twitter (@NUVBall and @NU_SportsLive) | Instagram (@NUVBall) | Facebook Northwestern Match Notes |
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EVANSTON, Ill. — The 2018 volleyball season is upon us. The Wildcats will start their highly-anticipated campaign with a three-match swing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, competing against South Dakota, New Hampshire, and the host school, Milwaukee.
News and notes...
WELCOME BACK: Northwestern volleyball begins its 43rd season of intercollegiate competition with a three-match swing against South Dakota, New Hampshire, and Milwaukee, on August 24-25.
WHO? WHAT!: The Wildcats are playing their sixth-ever match against Milwaukee, their second-ever match against New Hampshire, and their first-ever match against South Dakota.
The 'Cats are 5-0 against Milwaukee and 1-0 against New Hampshire.
IT'S A HIT: The Wildcats ended the 2017 season with a .247 hitting percentage, the top single-season mark in program history ... The 2017 team's 538 hitting errors were also the fewest in team history.
Against Rutgers on September 29, 2017, the 'Cats combined for a hitting percentage clinic, finishing with a mark of .485, the fifth-best single-match effort in program history.
Northwestern was led in part by the efforts of sophomore Alana Walker, who posted a .297 clip — the best-ever mark by a first-year Wildcat.
RANKING RUMBLINGS: According to PrepVolleyball.com, Northwestern's Class of 2022 is the 18th-best recruiting class in the nation.
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.
HOT STARTS: In 2017, Northwestern started its season with a 10-2 record in nonconference competition, its fourth-best nonconference mark in the last 10 seasons.
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.
HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Last season, sophomore Nia Robinson amassed 374 kills, the most for a first-year Wildcat since Erika Lange posted 393 in 2000 ... She tied the Northwestern record for kills in a three-set match with 24 in a win over Rutgers (Oct. 25).
SO LONG, FAREWELL: Chicago's Big Ten Team is losing the production from three of the more prolific players in Northwestern history ... Symone Abbott finished with 1,616 kills, the fourth-most in program history ... Taylor Tashima became only the third 'Cat to post over 4,000 assists ... Gabrielle Hazen finished with a career hitting percentage of .297, the fourth-best in NU history.
CAN YOU DIG IT?: Sophomore Lexi Pitsas contributed a team-high 306 digs in 2017, the ninth-most for a first-year Wildcat in program history.
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.
In 2017 — and for the first half of the 2018 home schedule — Northwestern played its home matches at Evanston Township High School's historic Beardsley Gym.
BUT UNTIL THEN...: The Wildcats play their first 14 matches on the road until September 28, when NU hosts Nebraska at historic Beardsley Gym.
