Sept. 12, 2008
NU vs. Montana State Box Score 
2008 Northwestern Volleyball Statistics
PULLMAN, Wash. -- Behind 11 kills and four blocks from senior Chelsy Hyser (Belvidere, Ill./Belvidere), Northwestern rolled to a 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-12) sweep of Montana State in the opening match of the 2008 Cougar Challenge Tournament. The victory pushes the Wildcats to 4-2 on the year and marks the third straight sweep for NU.
Northwestern jumped to the early lead in the opening set, and extended that advantage to as many as eight at 16-8. Montana State would trim the lead to four at 17-13, but an 8-3 run by the `Cats sealed the victory, taking the first set 25-16. Sophomore Brittani Gray (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) paced NU with four kills while a trio of Wildcats each contributed three of their own, including freshman Alexandra Ayers (Playa del Rey, Calif./Marymount) who also registered six digs.
Set two again belonged to the Wildcats, but a 4-0 Bobcat run trimmed NU's led to 12-11. But the `Cats were able to keep MSU at bay, using a 7-3 run to take the set 25-18 and jump out to the 2-0 lead. Gray was joined by sophomore Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) with four kills each with Ayers and Hyser each adding three of their own. Junior Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) registered five digs and Glab continued her stellar play with 13 assists.
Looking to finish off the sweep, Northwestern came out the aggressor in the third set, jumping out to an early 12-4 advantage. The `Cats would push that cushion to 12 at 23-11, cruising to the 25-12 victory. Hyser again came up big for NU with five kills and a pair of blocks with Moffett adding a pair of kills and a pair of blocks as well.
Along with the 11 kills from Hyser, Moffett and Ayers each added nine of their own, with Gray contributing eight of her own. The nine kills is a new career high for Ayers, as is the 13 digs she registered for the Wildcats. Nobilio once again led the Wildcats in digs with 14 as Glab recorded 36 assists on the afternoon while adding five digs.
The Wildcats return to Bohler Gymnasium for a pair of games Saturday, beginning with a showdown with 18th-ranked Wichita State at 12 noon. The Shockers are the defending Missouri Valley Conference champions and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament last season. Northwestern then concludes the Cougar Challenge against host Washington State at 9 p.m.