Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, November 24
Evanston, Ill.
7 p.m. CT
Northwestern
vs
Iowa
Photo by: Mary Grace Grabill/Northwestern Athletics
‘Cats Return Home For Final Time In 2023 This Weekend
11/23/2023 11:22:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
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Northwestern to honor senior class following Saturday’s tilt with Illinois
EVANSTON, Ill. (November 23, 2023) – After wrapping up its road schedule last weekend, Northwestern (13-15, 7-11 B1G) will close out the 2023 regular season at home this weekend inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The Wildcats will entertain Iowa at 7 p.m. on Friday evening ahead of welcoming in-state rival Illinois to Evanston for a 7 p.m. Saturday matchup. Following its meeting with the Fighting Illini, Northwestern will honor its senior class in a special ceremony.
LAST TIME OUT
Northwestern split a pair of matches on the road, picking up a 3-1 win over Rutgers last Friday before dropping a 3-0 decision to No. 14 Penn State 24 hours later. Julia Sangiacomo pelted a match-high 24 kills in the win over the Scarlet Knights, a performance that also included 11 digs, ahead of adding 10 kills against the Nittany Lions. Averie Hernandez added 12 kills against Rutgers, while Alexa Rousseau also turned in an impressive effort in the win, dishing out 51 assists.
SCOUTING IOWA
Iowa enters the final weekend of the regular season at 8-22 overall and 0-18 in Big Ten Conference play. The Hawkeyes are currently mired in a stretch that has seen them drop 23 straight sets.
Currently in his second year at the helm in Iowa City, Jim Barnes' team is led the trio of Caitlan Buettner, Nataly Moravec, and Delaney McSweeney. Buettner puts up a team-best 3.02 kills per set, while Moravec (2.59 k/s) and McSweeney (2.19 k/s) also provide support. Sydney Dennis has impressed defensively, averaging 4.15 digs per set, a mark that ranks fifth in the Big Ten.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
Winners of nine of their last 11 matches, Illinois, which battles Minnesota on Friday evening, resides at 16-12 overall, a mark that includes an 11-7 ledger in Big Ten play. The Fighting Illini are coming off a 3-0 sweep of Michigan last Saturday at Huff Hall.
Raina Terry sits at the forefront of the attack for seventh-year head coach Chris Tamas' squad. Terry is in the midst of an outstanding senior campaign, averaging 4.66 kills per set, good enough for second overall in the Big Ten and ninth nationally. Brooke Mosher has helped fuel Terry's red-hot season, handing out 9.19 assists per set, while Cari Bohm (1.12 b/s) and Kennedy Collins (1.07 b/s) have been a formidable tandem defensively, both averaging over a block per set.
SERIES STUFF
Following a road sweep of Iowa back on November 12, Northwestern has picked up five consecutive wins over Iowa, a run that has pushed its lead in the all-time series to 48-34-1 (.584). Sangiacomo (15 kills) and Hernandez (11 kills) both surpassed the 10-kill mark in the Wildcats' aforementioned victory. Leilani Dodson (.353; 9-3-17) and Kennedy Hill (.400; 6-2-10) both hit north of .350 in the victory.
Saturday's regular season finale will serve as the 97th installment of the rivalry between Northwestern and Illinois in volleyball. When the two teams clashed back on November 1, Hernandez (12 kills) and Sangiacomo (10 kills) both reached double figures in kills as Illinois posted a 3-0 victory, a win that extended the Fighting Illini's lead in the all-time series to 65-31 (.677).
The Wildcats will entertain Iowa at 7 p.m. on Friday evening ahead of welcoming in-state rival Illinois to Evanston for a 7 p.m. Saturday matchup. Following its meeting with the Fighting Illini, Northwestern will honor its senior class in a special ceremony.
LAST TIME OUT
Northwestern split a pair of matches on the road, picking up a 3-1 win over Rutgers last Friday before dropping a 3-0 decision to No. 14 Penn State 24 hours later. Julia Sangiacomo pelted a match-high 24 kills in the win over the Scarlet Knights, a performance that also included 11 digs, ahead of adding 10 kills against the Nittany Lions. Averie Hernandez added 12 kills against Rutgers, while Alexa Rousseau also turned in an impressive effort in the win, dishing out 51 assists.
SCOUTING IOWA
Iowa enters the final weekend of the regular season at 8-22 overall and 0-18 in Big Ten Conference play. The Hawkeyes are currently mired in a stretch that has seen them drop 23 straight sets.
Currently in his second year at the helm in Iowa City, Jim Barnes' team is led the trio of Caitlan Buettner, Nataly Moravec, and Delaney McSweeney. Buettner puts up a team-best 3.02 kills per set, while Moravec (2.59 k/s) and McSweeney (2.19 k/s) also provide support. Sydney Dennis has impressed defensively, averaging 4.15 digs per set, a mark that ranks fifth in the Big Ten.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
Winners of nine of their last 11 matches, Illinois, which battles Minnesota on Friday evening, resides at 16-12 overall, a mark that includes an 11-7 ledger in Big Ten play. The Fighting Illini are coming off a 3-0 sweep of Michigan last Saturday at Huff Hall.
Raina Terry sits at the forefront of the attack for seventh-year head coach Chris Tamas' squad. Terry is in the midst of an outstanding senior campaign, averaging 4.66 kills per set, good enough for second overall in the Big Ten and ninth nationally. Brooke Mosher has helped fuel Terry's red-hot season, handing out 9.19 assists per set, while Cari Bohm (1.12 b/s) and Kennedy Collins (1.07 b/s) have been a formidable tandem defensively, both averaging over a block per set.
SERIES STUFF
Following a road sweep of Iowa back on November 12, Northwestern has picked up five consecutive wins over Iowa, a run that has pushed its lead in the all-time series to 48-34-1 (.584). Sangiacomo (15 kills) and Hernandez (11 kills) both surpassed the 10-kill mark in the Wildcats' aforementioned victory. Leilani Dodson (.353; 9-3-17) and Kennedy Hill (.400; 6-2-10) both hit north of .350 in the victory.
Saturday's regular season finale will serve as the 97th installment of the rivalry between Northwestern and Illinois in volleyball. When the two teams clashed back on November 1, Hernandez (12 kills) and Sangiacomo (10 kills) both reached double figures in kills as Illinois posted a 3-0 victory, a win that extended the Fighting Illini's lead in the all-time series to 65-31 (.677).
Players Mentioned
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