Nov. 9, 2005
Northwestern Match Notes in PDF Format
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern launched itself into the thick of the chase for an NCAA Tournament berth with its sweep of last weekend's matches against No. 15 Purdue and Illinois, moving to 14-10 overall on the year.
Now, the 'Cats travel to No. 17 Minnesota at 7 p.m. Friday night before driving down to face Iowa at 7 p.m. Saturday evening.
The Wildcats overcame an 0-2 deficit for the first time since Nov. 5, 1993, to defeat No. 15 Purdue Friday night, NU's second win over a ranked foe this season.
Northwestern followed that effort with a 3-1 win over Illinois to sweep the season series with the Illini for the first time since 2002.
For their efforts in the best weekend of the Wildcats' season, senior Christie Gardner (West Bend, Wis./West Bend East) and sophomore Lindsay Anderson (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) swept the Big Ten Player of the Week honors.
To earn her second Defensive POW honor, Gardner broke Northwestern's single-match dig record with 36 against Purdue. She now has 404 digs on the season, on pace to break her own NU single-season record of 460 set last year.
Anderson's honor was the first of her career. She had 19 kills against the Boilermakers, then recorded a season-high 23 kills against the Illini--the best total of any Wildcat this season.
Sophomore Courtnie Paulus (Belgium, Wis./Ozaukee) enters this weekend red-hot after recording double-doubles in Northwestern's last four matches. She now has six on the season, tied with Anderson for the team lead.
No. 17 Minnesota swept the Michigans last weekend to reach 20 wins on the season. The Golden Gophers, who reached the national championship match last year, defeated NU 3-0 earlier in the year at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Libero Paula Gentil shared Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors with Gardner this week.
Iowa enters the weekend with a 14-13 overall record, 4-10 in the conference. The Hawkeyes defeated Northwestern in the conference opener this year at Welsh-Ryan Arena, 3-0. Iowa takes on No. 13 Wisconsin Friday night prior to hosting the Wildcats.