Oct. 26, 2000
Northwestern's losing skid reached eight matches after falling to Illinois and Purdue in five games. Despite the outcome of the matches, freshman Erika Lange continued to earn respect with her strong play. Lange averaged 3.8 kills per game and hit .341 in the two matches, and recorded eight blocks against Illinois and seven against Purdue.
Scouting the Gophers
No. 7 Minnesota became the first Big Ten team to hit the 20-victory mark this season when it posted wins over No. 20 Michigan State nad Michigan last weekend. The Gophers are 20-1 and in a tie for first in the conference with No. 6 Wisconsin. Nicole Branagh leads the Gophers on both sides of the ball, averaging 5.09 kills and 3.32 digs per game. The Gophers are averaging 17.09 kills per contest comapared to its opponents 13.83. Minnesota is hitting at a .291 clip on the season. So far this season, the Gophers have only been taken to four or more games five times out of 21 matches.
The Series: Wildcats vs. Minnesota
Series Record: Minnesota leads 27-13
Most Recent Meeting: Oct. 7, 2000 at Minneapolis (MN 3, NU 0)
First Meeting: Oct. 28, 1977, (MN 2, NU 0) Big Ten Tournament
Last NU win in Evanston: Nov. 11, 1984, 3-1
Last Minnesota win in Evanston: Nov. 5, 1999 (Minnesota 3, NU 0)
Scouting the Hawkeyes
Fabiana de Abreu put on a show with her outstanding all-around play as Iowa ground out an important pair of five-game victories over the weekend. de Abreu posted back-to-back triple-doubles as the Hawkeyes moved past Michigan and Michigan State in the standings. Against Michigan Abreu tallied 18 kills, 33 assists, and 20 digs. She recorded 24 kills, 27 assists and 16 digs as Iowa rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win the match. The Hawkeyes are averaging 15.14 kills per game and hitting .210 on the season. Individually, Sara Meyerman leads the attack with 3.70 kills per game, while Renee Hill is the defensive leader with 2.86 digs per game.
The Series: Wildcats vs. Iowa
Series Record: Northwestern leads 21-20
Most Recent Meeting: Oct. 6, 2000 at Iowa City (Iowa 3,NU 1)
First Meeting: Oct. 28, 1978 (Iowa 2, NU 0) Big Ten Tournament
Last NU win in Evanston: Nov. 6, 1999, 3-0
Last Iowa win in Evanston: Nov. 15, 1996, 3-2
Burbach Among Wildcat Elite
With her second dig of the night against Illinois, senior outside hitter Carmen Burbach became only the sixth Wildcat to reach the elite 1,000-kill-1,000-dig club. Burbach entered the season with 945 career kills and 807 digs. She reached 1,000 kills on Sept. 8 against Oregon.
FAB Freshman
NU's standout freshman Erika Lange is doing it all. The 6-3 middle blocker has adjusted to collegiate volleyball without any problems, and turned into the 'Cats' leading hitter and blocker. Lange is averaging 3.42 kills and 1.44 blocks per game. She ranks second in the Big Ten with 114 total blocks and has led the team to fourth in the conference in blocking. Lange has started each of the Wildcats' 20 matches.
Mcknight Spark Plug Off the Bench
Sophomore hitter Cassie McKnight came off the bench in the match against Purdue and provided the spark that the 'Cats needed. McKnight entered the match near the end of Game 2 and stepped up, helping the 'Cats claw back from a 2-0 deficit to even the score and force a fifth game. McKnight recorded eight kills, four digs, four blocks and a service ace.
Lange Records Season-High
Erika Lange recorded a season-high 25 kills in the Wildcats' loss to Purdue last Saturday night. Lange hit at a .341 clip (25k-10e-44ta) on the night.
Chan, Briefly
Keylor Chan is in his first season as head coach at Northwestern after spending a year at the helm of the Furman University program.
In his only season at Furman, Chan guided the Paladins to an 18-15 overall mark, including a 13-7 conference mark. While under Chan's direction, the Paladins climbed 22 positions from 167th to 145th in the Sagarin Power Rating. Prior to his tenure at Furman, Chan was an assistant coach for the Wildcats for two seasons. During his time at Northwestern, Chan helped improve NU's rank in the Sagarin Power Rating from 175th to 38th.