NU Set For Two-Match Sojourn in Hoosier State

9/20/2018 9:19:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

2018 NORTHWESTERN VOLLEYBALL
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME (CT)	LOCATION	WATCH	LISTEN	LIVE STATS
Friday, Sept. 21	Indiana	6 p.m.	Bloomington, Ind.	BTN Plus	N/A	StatBroadcast
Saturday, Sept. 22	#16 Purdue	6 p.m.	West Lafayette, Ind.	BTN Plus	N/A	StatBroadcast
Social: Twitter (@NUVBall and @NU_SportsLive) \| Instagram (@NUVBall) \| Facebook Northwestern Match Notes

EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern volleyball (10-2, 0-0 BIg Ten) is set to start its 20-match conference slate with matchups against Indiana (Sept. 21) and No. 16 Purdue (Sept. 22). Both matches will be broadcast on BTN Plus.

News and notes...

THIS AND THAT: Northwestern volleyball is in the midst of its 43rd season of intercollegiate competition ... The 'Cats will start their conference slate in the Hoosier State with matches agianst Indiana (Sept. 21) and Purdue (Sept. 22).

WHO? WHAT!: The Wildcats are meeting up with Indiana for the 71st time in history ... NU owns the advantage in the all-time series, leading the Hoosiers, 37-33 ... The 'Cats topped Indiana in five sets in their only matchup last season (Oct. 6).

Northwestern is playing No. 16 Purdue for the 85th time in school history, tied for NU-Illinois as the most all-time matchups between schools in Wildcat volleyball history.

CURRENT EVENTS: For the second-straight season, Northwestern has started its season with a nonconference record of 10-2 ... The 'Cats have won seven of their last eight matches.

WHERE THEY RANK: Northwestern is third in the Big Ten in both kills per set (14.19) and assists per set (13.26).

Sophomore Nia Robinson ranks fifth in the conference with a 4.14 kills per set clip.

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.

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.

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

NUMBER CRUNCHING: The next Wildcat win will be the 300th-career victory for NU head coach Shane Davis, between both Loyola and Northwestern.

CAN YOU DIG IT?: Local product Michelle Lee (Naperville, Ill.) owns a 3.47 digs per set clip, good for third-best in the Big Ten among rookies.

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.

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.