Oct. 30, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. -
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Northwestern (13-9, 6-4 Big Ten) opens up the second half of Big Ten play this weekend when it hosts Ohio State on Friday and Indiana on Saturday. Both matches start at 7 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats are currently tied with Wisconsin, Michigan and Michigan State for third place in the Big Ten. NU is receiving votes in the AVCA/USA Today Coaches' Poll this week for the first time this season. Ohio State leads its all-time series with the Wildcats 34-13, including an Oct. 12 3-0 victory over the 'Cats in Columbus. Indiana is 22-20 in its series with Northwestern. NU won 3-2 on Oct. 11 in Bloomington.
Scouting the Buckeyes
After starting the Big Ten season 0-5 for the first time in school history, Ohio State (10-9, 4-6 Big Ten) has climbed back into contention by winning four of its last five. The Buckeyes dropped a five-game match to No. 8 Minnesota last Friday, before responding to defeat Iowa in four games the next day. In the 24-30. 30-22, 28-30, 30-24, 15-6 loss to the Gophers, Stacey Gordon, the Big Ten leader in kills, recorded 27 kills in a whopping 62 attempts. Suzie Stilling and Shelly Drager posted 18 kills apiece in the 31-29, 32-34, 30-28, 30-17 victory over the Hawkeys. Gordon is averaging 5.95 kills and 3.47 digs per game for OSU. Katie Virtue carries a 13.44 assists-per-game average. Head Coach Jim Stone is 419-238 in 20 seasons at Ohio State.
Scouting the Hoosiers
Indiana (15-7, 5-5 Big Ten) went 1-1 last weekend, defeating Iowa in four games before falling to Minnesota in four the following night. Katie Pollom tallied 19 kills in the 28-30, 30-24, 30-24, 30-24 victory over the Hawkeyes. Victoria Zimmerman recorded 63 assists and 13 digs. Pollom totaled 15 kills in the Hoosiers' 19-30, 30-24, 18-30, 27-30 loss to Minnesota. Zimmerman collected 52 assists and a career-high 18 digs. The loss snapped a four-match winning streak for Indiana. Prior to that, the Hoosiers had lost four consecutive matches and had won six straight before that. Christina Archibald leads IU with a 4.40 kills-per-game average. Zimmerman averages 13.64 assists per game. Katie Weismiller is 154-148 in 10 seasons as the head coach of Indiana.
Last Time Out
The Wildcats picked up their first victory over a ranked opponent this season when they defeated No. 15 Wisconsin 30-22, 43-41, 30-24 Wednesday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Erika Lange (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) recorded a match-high 19 kills and five total blocks for the Wildcats, who hit .294 as a team. Iwona Lodzik (Tarnobrzeg, Poland/Tarnobrzeg) added 14 kills and 11 digs. However, Northwestern was unable to carry the weight of the emotional victory into their Friday matchup at No. 9 Penn State. The Nittany Lions disposed of the 'Cats 30-23, 30-27, 30-21. Lange's 12 kills were a match high, while Sarah Ballog (Coto de Caza, Calif./Santa Margarita) added 11. Drew Robertson (Long Beach, Calif./Poly) tied a career high with six kills to go along with 10 digs and 38 assists.
Wildcats' Match With Indiana to be Televised
This weekend, Northwestern will be a part of the Big Ten television package involving ESPN and Fox Sports Net. The Wildcats' match against Indiana this Saturday will be broadcast by Fox Sports Net. The match will air in the Chicago area at 3 p.m. CST on Sunday, Nov. 3 on Fox Sports Net. This is the eighth consecutive year that the Big Ten has had at least three matches carried on ESPN2, while the Big Ten-Fox Sports Chicago partnership is in its sixth year. The ESPN2 network is currently seen in over 83 million households nation-wide, while the Fox Sports Net telecasts will reach over 18 million homes.
Among the Elite
By virtue of garnering 23 votes, this year's Northwestern team has become the first to earn votes in the AVCA/USA Today Top 25 Coaches' Poll since 1998. The last time that a Wildcat team has cracked the Top 25 was 1987.
So Far, So Good
The six victories that the 'Cats posted during the first half of the Big Ten season already matches their win total from the 2001-02 season. The last time that Northwestern won seven or more Big Ten matches in a season was 1988 when it finished 11-7.