Oct. 11, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. - This weekend's matches may go a long way in determining whether the Northwestern volleyball team is a contender or a pretender in the Big Ten race this season. The Wildcats hit the road as they aim to remain among the Big Ten leaders. The Wildcats open the trip with a 7 p.m. Friday meeting at Indiana, followed by a 6 p.m. matchup at No. 24 Ohio State on Saturday.
NU (10-6, 3-1 Big Ten) is coming off a split at home last weekend, defeating Iowa while falling to No. 6 Minnesota. The Wildcats are currently in fourth place in the Big Ten. Minnesota and Penn State are tied for first at 4-0. Michigan, after defeating Michigan State on Wednesday, is third at 4-1.
Northwestern will face a pair of teams that have been struggling recently. Indiana (11-5, 1-3), which went 10-2 in non-conference play and then won its conference opener, has lost three straight. Ohio State (7-6, 0-4) has been plagued by injuries this season and has lost its first four Big Ten matches for the first time in school history.
Junior middle blocker Erika Lange (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) continues to lead the Wildcats, averaging 4.2 kills and 1.46 blocks per game. She recorded 20 kills with a .607 hitting percentage in NU's sweep of Iowa last Friday. She needs five block assists to move into third place and nine to move into second place on NU's all-time list.
Indiana is led by Christina Archibald who ranks second in the Big Ten with a 4.63 kills-per-game average. Setter Victoria Zimmerman is second in the conference in assists at 13.72 per game.
Ohio State is led by defending Big Ten Player of the Week Stacey Gordon. In a five-game loss to Michigan State last week, Gordon totaled 36 kills and 17 digs. She followed the effort up with 19 kills and 11 digs in three games against Michigan.
Northwestern split its two meetings with Indiana last season, while losing both contests to Ohio State. Indiana leads its series with the Wildcats 22-19. Ohio State is 33-13 all-time against NU.