Northwestern
UIC
’Cats Set to Defend City Honors at Chicago Cup
9/12/2018 11:38:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
| 2018 NORTHWESTERN VOLLEYBALL | ||||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME (CT) | LOCATION | WATCH | LISTEN | LIVE STATS |
| Friday, Sept. 14 | UIC | 4 p.m. | Chicago, Ill. | N/A | N/A | StatBroadcast |
| Saturday, Sept. 15 | DePaul | 10 a.m. | Chicago, Ill. | N/A | N/A | StatBroadcast |
| Saturday, Sept. 15 | Loyola | 7 p.m. | Chicago, Ill. | ESPN+ | N/A | StatBroadcast |
| Social: Twitter (@NUVBall and @NU_SportsLive) | Instagram (@NUVBall) | Facebook Northwestern Match Notes |
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EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern volleyball (7-2, 0-0 Big Ten) is ready for its final nonconference tournament of the 2018 season, battling against city foes UIC, DePaul, and Loyola.
The Wildcats will play each match at Loyola's Gentile Arena, and the tournament's finale against the Ramblers will be broadcast on ESPN+ ($).
News and notes...
WELCOME BACK: Northwestern volleyball is in the midst of its 43rd season of intercollegiate competition ... The 'Cats will compete against UIC, DePaul, and Loyola in this three-match, city rival competition.
WHO? WHAT!: The Wildcats are very experienced against all three of their opponents — NU is 26-4 against UIC, 18-7-1 against DePaul, and 19-4 against Loyola.
Northwestern has won their last 11 against UIC and has not dropped a set against the Flames since 2004 ... The 'Cats have won 14-straight against DePaul, with their last loss coming on Oct. 31, 1980 ... NU has won four-straight against Loyola.
CURRENT EVENTS: Northwestern has started the season with seven wins in its first nine contests ... If the 'Cats win their last three matches of the nonconference, they will finish with a 10-2 mark, the same record as the 2017 squad had in nonconference play.
WHERE THEY RANK: Northwestern ranks second in the Big Ten in attacks per set and third in kills per set and assists per set ... NU's 13.3 assists per set clip is good for 25th in the nation ... Nia Robinson's 128 total kills are second-most in the Conference.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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