Sept. 21, 2004
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EVANSTON, Ill.-- After compiling a solid 5-5 record through a strong nonconference schedule highlighted by three top-25 teams, Northwestern begins an even tougher Big Ten schedule this weekend when No. 4 Penn State and No. 20 Ohio State come to Welsh-Ryan Arena for Friday and Saturday evening matches.
In the first three weeks of competition, the young 'Cats -- featuring four freshman starters -- have slowly gelled and become more comfortable with each other, while getting accustomed to the high level of competition they can expect in the Big Ten.
NU has toughened up by playing No. 4 Florida in the season-opening NU Labor Day Invite, traveling to No. 18 Long Beach State and recently taking on No. 12 Stanford in the Wildcat Classic. The 'Cats fell in all three matches, but Head Coach Keylor Chan has been pleased with how his team is progressing.
"The whole point of nonconference play is for the team to get used to the high level of competition we'll see in the Big Ten," Chan said. "I think we've done that and we're ready for this weekend."
Through 10 matches this season, NU has relied on co-captains Drew Robertson (Long Beach Calif./Long Beach Poly) and Christie Gardner (West Bend, Wis./West Bend East) to lead the young team.
Their leadership has been rubbing off on the newcomers as freshmen Brittney Aldridge (Hampshire, Ill./Hampshire) and Stefanie Alde (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) have been solid anchoring the middle for the 'Cats, combining for 59 total blocks. The duo has also combined for 127 kills.
On the offensive end, freshman Courtnie Paulus (Belgium, Wis./Ozaukee) has been outstanding since cracking the starting line-up in the second match of the Chicago Challenge against DePaul on Sept. 11. Paulus finished the Chicago Challenge by earning all-tournament honors and followed up that performance by recording 38 kills over the course of the Wildcat Classic, en route to her second-consecutive all-tournament nod.
While the freshman continue to come along, sophomore Julie Purcell (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) has filled up the stat sheet as the Wildcats' main offensive weapon. She is having a break-out year with a team-leading 112 kills.
All of the nonconference matches are in the books though, and the real season with familiar conference rivals starts this weekend.
"The team understands that this is the culmination of what we've been working toward," Chan said. "We've been getting a little bit better every week, and now we need to put it all together and play our best volleyball against these Big Ten teams."
On Friday, Sept. 24, NU will take on No. 4 Penn State at 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions are a perfect 9-0 and boast an explosive offense that has 508 kills so far this year. Opponents have only been able to record 366 kills on their defense.
Over the weekend, junior setter Sam Tortorello was named the Most Valuable Player of the Penn State Classic along with earning Big Ten Player of the Week honors. Behind Tortorello's leadership, Penn State attacked at a combined .419 clip over the weekend, including a season-high .457 against Maryland-Baltimore County.
The schedule does not get any easier for the 'Cats as they take on No. 20 Ohio State at 7 p.m. on Sept. 25. Like Penn State, the Buckeyes are undefeated, standing at 10-0. Stacey Gordon was recently named the MVP of the Buckeye Classic and has 224 kills to go along with a solid .447 hitting percentage on the season. The 'Cats beat the Buckeyes in their last meeting on Nov. 1, 2003, 3-1.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, Sept. 24
Penn State vs. Northwestern @ 7 p.m
Saturday, Sept. 25
Ohio State vs. Northwestern @ 7 p.m.