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    Northwestern Welcomes No. 1 Penn State, Ohio State to Welsh-Ryan Arena
    Wildcats look to continue hot start to second half of Big Ten schedule
    NUSPORTSDOTCOM Senior middle blocker Brittney Aldridge has the best hitting percentage (.358) in the Big Ten for a student-athlete other than a Nittany Lion.
    NUSPORTSDOTCOM
    Senior middle blocker Brittney Aldridge has the best hitting percentage (.358) in the Big Ten for a student-athlete other than a Nittany Lion.
     NUSPORTSDOTCOM

    Nov. 7, 2007

    Northwestern's Weekly Game Notes in PDF Format Get Acrobat Reader

    EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern welcomes top-ranked Penn State and Ohio State to Welsh-Ryan Arena this weekend with hopes of continuing its hot start to the second half of the Big Ten season.

    The Wildcats have won three of their first four matches since the back half of the league slate began, with their only loss coming in thrilling five-game fashion on the road at No. 7 Wisconsin. The three NU wins all came against teams that beat the 'Cats during the first run through the conference schedule.

    The loss to the Badgers also snapped a five-match winning streak for the Wildcats dating back to a victory against then-No. 13 Minnesota on Oct. 19. That conference winning streak for NU was its longest since a six-match run in 2005.

    Last weekend did little to shake up the logjam in the Big Ten standings. Northwestern is in a four-way tie for sixth in the conference at 6-8, sitting one game out of third place behind a trio a teams with 7-7 league marks.

    No. 1 Penn State brings a perfect 14-0 Big Ten record and a two-match lead atop the standings to Evanston this weekend. The Nittany Lions have been lights out at home, but have been tested on the road, needing to go the distance in away victories at Wisconsin and at Illinois.

    Ohio State began the year ranked in the top-25, but has fallen on tough times during the Big Ten schedule. Northwestern opened the year with a 3-2 win over OSU in Columbus, and now the two teams are among those tied for sixth in the conference with 6-8 marks.

    Senior Brittney Aldridge (Hampshire, Ill./Hampshire) has been on fire recently for Northwestern, currently ranking fourth in the Big Ten with a .358 hitting percentage while notching double-digit kill totals in six of NU's last seven matches, including a career-best 19 kills on Nov. 3 at No. 7 Wisconsin.

    For Northwestern's complete game notes package for the upcoming weekend, click on the .pdf link at the top of this page.

    The Weekend

    Friday, November 9
    No. 1 Penn State (22-2, 14-0)
    at Northwestern (15-10, 6-8) 7 p.m. CT

    Saturday, November 10
    Ohio State (12-11, 6-8)
    at Northwestern (15-10, 6-8) 7 p.m. CT

    Series Records
    Penn State: Penn State leads, 33-8
    Last Meeting: Sept. 22, 2007 (PSU, 3-0)
    Ohio State: Ohio State leads, 44-13
    Last Meeting: Sept. 21, 2007 (NU, 3-2)

    On The Web
    Gametracker will be available for both of this weekend's matches at NUsports.com. Also, live streaming video with audio commentary provided by students from WNUR 89.3 FM, Northwestern student radio, will be available at NUsports.com via CSTV Online's premium All-Access.