Wildcat Classic Tournament Notes in PDF Format
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Sept. 15, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill. - After hosting the season-opening NU Labor Day Invite two weeks ago, the Wildcats will once again find themselves hosting a tournament in the friendly confines of Welsh-Ryan Arena for this year's edition of The Wildcat Classic. NU is coming off a short week of rest after traveling to Long Beach State this past Tuesday to face the 49ers.
The Classic kicks off early Friday morning as the 'Cats take on Villanova at 10 a.m. in what will be the first match between the two programs since 1993. NU beat Villanova back in `93, 3-1, and a win on Friday in the tournament's first match would have NU sitting at a perfect all-time record of 3-0 against Villanova.
After dropping its first three matches of the year, Villanova rides the momentum of three-consecutive wins into Welsh-Ryan Arena this weekend. They are led on the offensive end by Celine Nguyen, who holds the No. 1 spot on her team for kills with 71. While Nguyen leads the way, Villanova has three additional players who have more than 50 kills on the season.
"Villanova is in the process of building a really solid program right now with a new coach in Gilad Doran," head coach Keylor Chan said. "The last coach there left some good players and I know Coach Doran has them playing well together right now."
NU will book end its tournament-opening match against Villanova on Friday with a nightcap against undefeated Western Kentucky University at 7 p.m. The Hilltoppers, 8-0, and 'Cats will square off for the first time in the history of the two programs. Western Kentucky boasts some serious offensive firepower in Amanda Schiff, who leads the way with 105 kills through 27 games. Schiff's offensive production is followed closely by Crystal Towler, who has 84 kills, while the team's overall attack percentage is a solid .281. The Hilltoppers have dominated their competition so far, by not having lost more than one game in eight matches this year.
"Western Kentucky is always one of the best coached teams with coach Hudson there," Chan said. "The last couple years, they've always been in the top 50, so it will be a great match."
The closing matchup of the tournament will pit NU against No. 13 Stanford in a primetime slot of 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18. The Cardinal comes to Evanston with a 4-2 record, and will be the third top-15 team the 'Cats face in as many weeks. Stanford returns four starters from a strong squad from 2003, in which they went 25-7, finished second in the Pac-10 and also advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinals. Two key offensive threats for The Cardinal include Ogonna Nnamani and Kristin Richards, who have an impressive 230 kills between them through 25 games. The duo averages 4.60 kills per game.
"Stanford is one of the elite programs in the nation year-in and year-out" Chan said. "After playing well against a solid team like Long Beach State this past week, I think we're ready to compete against them and give them all they can handle."
Wildcat Classic Schedule
Friday
10 a.m. - Villanova vs. Northwestern
Noon - Western Kentucky vs. Stanford
5 p.m. - Villanova vs. Stanford
7 p.m. - Western Kentucky vs. Northwestern
Saturday
5 p.m. - Western Kentucky vs. Villanova
7 p.m. - Stanford vs. Northwestern
The series with Villanova
All-Time Series: NU leads 2-0
Most Recent Meeting: Sept. 5, 2003 (NU, 3-0)
The Series with Western Kentucky
All-Time Series: First Meeting
The Series with Stanford
All-Time Series: Stanford leads 2-3
Most Recent Meeting: Sept. 7, 1991 (SU, 3-0)