Aug. 30, 2008
2008 Northwestern Volleyball Statistics 
CHICAGO, Ill. -- Northwestern suffered its first setback of the season, falling in four sets (20-25, 21-25, 25-13, 26-28) to Loyola Chicago in the championship game of the Chicagoland Classic at the Gentile Center on Loyola's Campus. NU drops to 1-1 on the season as the Ramblers avenge their opening round Challenge loss in 2007.
After falling behind early, Loyola (2-0) went on an 8-3 run to break the set open, then finished on a 7-4 run to take the opening set 25-20. Freshman Alexandra Ayers (Playa del Rey, Calif./Marymount) recorded three kills for the `Cats while junior Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) registered four digs. Mallory Curran and Sarah Singer had four kills each for Loyola.
Set two saw the Ramblers take an early 10-9 advantage before a 10-5 NU run put the `Cats on top 19-14. But Loyola would go on a tear from that point on, outscoring Northwestern 10-2 to take the set 25-21 and the 2-0 lead. Sophomore Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) led the Wildcats with five kills and senior Chelsy Hyser (Belvidere, Ill./Belvidere) added four of her own to go along with eight digs by Nobilio.
Moffett provided an early spark in the third set, registering three kills to push the `Cats to a 12-4 advantage. NU would extend that lead to double-digits at 18-8 and made sure there would be no late rally by LU, taking the third set 25-13. Moffett would finish with five kills in the set with sophomore Elyse Glab (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) adding nine assists and four digs.
But the Ramblers were determined to capture the Classic championship on their home court. After taking an early 10-6 lead, they found themselves down 24-22 late in the fourth set. But Loyola would outscore the `Cats 6-2 down the stretch to capture the title.
Moffet recorded a career-high 14 kills for Northwestern while Hyser and Ayers each added eight apiece. Glab finished with a double-double for the `Cats, registering 37 assists and 13 digs, with Nobilio contributing 22 digs of her own. Both Moffett and Glab earned all-tournament honors for their efforts, with Moffet recording 23 kills during the two-day Classic while Glab had 74 assists and 23 digs.
Northwestern truly hits the road for the Buckeye state this coming weekend to compete in the Dayton tournament, opening up by facing the host Flyers at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5. The Wildcats then face a pair of foes on Saturday, Sept. 6, beginning with Cleveland State at noon and capping off the tournament against Towson at 4 p.m.