’Cats Look to Continue Hot Start at Arkansas Classic

9/5/2018 11:05:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

2018 NORTHWESTERN VOLLEYBALL
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME (CT)	LOCATION	WATCH	LISTEN	LIVE STATS
Friday, Sept. 7	Buffalo	5 p.m.	Fayetteville, Ark.	N/A	N/A	StatBroadcast
Saturday, Sept. 8	Butler	10 a.m.	Fayetteville, Ark.	N/A	N/A	StatBroadcast
Saturday, Sept. 8	Arkansas	7 p.m.	Fayetteville, Ark.	SECN+	N/A	StatBroadcast
Social: Twitter (@NUVBall and @NU_SportsLive) \| Instagram (@NUVBall) \| Facebook Northwestern Match Notes

EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern volleyball (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten) is set for its final nonconference tournament outside of the Chicagoland area. The Wildcats will compete against Buffalo, Butler, and Arkansas on Friday and Saturday.

After the trip, NU will play in the Chicago Cup, hosted by Loyola, to round out the 12-match nonconference slate.

News and notes...

WELCOME BACK: Northwestern volleyball is in the midst of its 43rd season of intercollegiate competition ... The 'Cats will compete against Buffalo, Butler, and Arkansas in the three-match sojourn.

WHO? WHAT!: The Wildcats are 2-0 against Buffalo and 1-0 against Butler, all-time ... Northwestern is playing its first-ever match against Arkansas.

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.

THANKS FOR THE HELP!: Rookie setter Kiara McNulty earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors in Week One after three-straight 40-plus assist efforts ... She was the only conference setter to post three double-doubles in the season-opening weekend ... The 5-foot-10 McNulty also added five blocks and four aces.

THREE AND OH: The Wildcats opened up the 2018 season with three-straight wins and a team championship at the Panther Invitational ... Northwestern has started its season 3-0 for the fourth time in the last five seasons.

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.

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.

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.

SO LONG, FAREWELL: Chicago's Big Ten Team lost 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.

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.