Oct. 20, 2009

Northwestern Volleyball Weekly Release - Oct. 20

Opening Serve
Northwestern closes out the first half of the Big Ten season on the road, beginning in Iowa City for a 7 p.m. opening serve against the Hawkeyes on Friday, Oct. 23. The Wildcats then head to Madison, Wis., to face the Badgers on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m.

Scouting the Hawkeyes
Season: Iowa is 10-10 on the year and 2-6 in Big Ten play, coming off losses to Indiana and Purdue last weekend. Head Coach: Sharon Dingman is in her second year in Iowa City with a 24-28 (.462) record and is 360-235 (.605) in her 19th season as a head coach. Outside Hitters: Megan Schipper (Sr.) leads the team in kills with 227 and ranks 10th in the conference with 3.29 kills per set ... Leads the team with 24 service aces and is sixth in the Big Ten averaging 0.35 per set .. Aimee Huffman (Jr.) ranks second with 181 kills (2.59 per set) while leading the team in hitting percentage (.277) and ranking second in blocks (50). Middle Blockers: Becky Walters (R-Jr.) leads Iowa with 54 blocks, as her 1.04 blocks per set is eighth in the Big Ten, while adding 103 kills and 12 service aces ... Katie Kennedy (Jr.) is third on the Hawkeyes in both kills (125) and blocks (41). Setter: Mara Hilgenberg (Jr.) is eighth in the conference averaging 9.81 assists per set (687 total) with 34 kills, 143 digs and 26 blocks. Libero: Christina Meister (Sr.) ranks second in the Big Ten in digs per set at 4.41 (309 total), adding 12 service aces.

Scouting the Badgers
Season: Wisconsin enters the weekend 9-8 on the season and 4-4 in the Big Ten, falling at Purdue before defeating Indiana last weekend ... The Badgers host Illinois Friday evening before facing Northwestern. Head Coach: Pete Waite is in his 11th season in Madison with a 254-90 (.738) record and is 520-192 (.730) in his 22nd season as a head coach. Outside Hitters: Brittney Dolgner (Sr.) leads the Badgers with 190 kills (3.28 per set) while ranking second in digs (173) and is tied for fifth in blocks (25) ... Kirby Toon (Fr.) ranks second in kills (142) and is tied for second in blocks (31) while leading Wisconsin in service aces (15) ... Allison Wack (Jr.) has added 124 kills, 93 digs and 11 blocks. Middle Blockers: Elle Ohlander (So.) leads the Badgers with 40 blocks and ranks second in hitting percentage (.275) while adding 119 kills ... Alexis Mitchell (Fr.) ranks second on the team in blocks (31) and has added 74 kills offensively. Setter: Janelle Gabrielsen (So.) enters the weekend ranked ninth in the Big Ten with 9.59 assists per set (614 total) and has added 55 kills, 12 service aces and 30 blocks up front for the Badgers. Libero: Kim Kuzma (Jr.) is 10th in the conference averaging 3.48 digs per set (223 total) with eight service aces.

Series Information
Northwestern and Iowa meet for the 60th time this Friday evening, with the Wildcats holding a 33-25-1 series advantage. But the Hawkeyes hold a two-match winning streak, defeating the 'Cats 3-1 in Iowa City and 3-2 in Evanston last season. NU traditionally has played well at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, winning six of the last seven meetings in Iowa City. Northwestern and Wisconsin get together for the 69th meeting on Saturday as the Badgers lead the all-time series 43-25 and have won the last 10 matches between the border rivals. Wisconsin Field House has proven to be a major home court advantage for the Badgers, as the Wildcats haven't won in Madison since 1986 - a span of 22 matches.

Nobilio Just Shy of Notching Her 2,000th Career Dig
Senior Kate Nobilio, who has already cemented her legacy as Northwestern's all-time digs leader, continues to close in on an impressive career milestone. Nobilio had 45 digs this past week, upping her career total to 1,993. The Big Ten Conference's active dig leader, Nobilio moved past Penn State's Kaleena Walters into fifth all-time in the conference's history and is on the verge of becoming just the fifth player in Big Ten history to reach the 2,000 dig plateau. Nobilio, who has started since her freshman season for the 'Cats, also holds three of the program's top-four single-season dig records, including a school-best 603 in 2007.

Glab Becomes Fourth Wildcat To Surpass 3,000 Assists
Junior Elyse Glab has been a key factor for the Wildcats since her first match as a freshman as she continues to move up the program's all-time assist list. Glab recorded 65 assists against Illinois and Minnesota this past week, becoming just the fourth Wildcat to notch 3,000 career assists. Glab, who ranks seventh in the Big Ten at 10.06 assists per set, surpassed Andrea Proos (1985-88) for fourth all-time in program history at Michigan State on Oct. 3, and is now 600 assists back of Jeanne Wohlberg (1991-94) for third-place all-time.

For the complete weekly release, click the PDF link above.