Oct. 3, 2008
2008 Northwestern Volleyball Statistics 
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern fell behind 2-0 early against Ohio State, then nearly completed the comeback but fell short in the final set, dropping a 3-2 (24-26, 24-26, 25-21, 25-12, 10-15) decision to the Buckeyes Friday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The loss drops the Wildcats to 6-8 on the season and 0-3 in Big Ten play, while OSU improves to 10-5 and 1-2 in conference play.
The loss overshadows a career night for sophomore Naomi Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy), who tallied a career-high 16 kills on 33 attempts, and she also added three blocks for Northwestern. Sophomore Brittani Gray (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) added 11 kills while senior Chelsy Hyser (Belvidere, Ill./Belvidere) notched nine kills and added eight blocks on the evening.
Both of the first two sets were extremely competitive. The Wildcats jumped out to 8-3 lead early, only to have the Buckeyes respond with a 14-4 run. Tied at 24 late, Ohio State benefited from a pair of Northwestern attack errors to take the opening set 26-24. Hyser led the way for NU with four block while junior libero Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) registered nine digs defensively.
Set two played out similarly to the first as the `Cats built a lead early and were able to maintain it throughout the majority of the set. Leading 20-17, a Buckeye timeout seemed to be the spark they needed, as Ohio State went on a 9-4 run to get the come-from-behind 26-24. Johnson's four kills led the Wildcats as sophomore Elyse Glab (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) added 11 assists.
It appeared the Buckeyes would make quick work of the `Cats in the third set, pushing their advantage to four at 14-10 midway through. But feeding of its never-say-die attitude, Northwestern fought back to outscore Ohio State 15-7 to earn the 25-21 third set victory. Gray came up big for the Wildcat with her six kills, including the set clincher, and was complimented by three from Johnson. Glab again controlled the tempo, dishing out 11 assists.
Feeding off its emotional victory, NU controlled the fourth set throughout. Tied at seven early, the Wildcats used an 18-5 outburst to take control and cruise to the 25-12 victory, and it seemed momentum was firmly on Northwestern's side heading into the decisive fifth set. Five more kills from Johnson and three from sophomore Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) spaked the offensive charge, as Glab once again served up 11 assists.
But surprisingly, it was the Buckeyes who came out the aggressor in the final set, jumping out to an early 9-3 lead and never looking back. Down 14-7, the Wildcats tried one final comeback and got as close as 14-10, but a Buckeye block from Kelli Barhorst and Katie Dull sealed the match for Ohio State.
Glab finished the evening with 48 assists, her second-highest output of the season, and also added five blocks. Moffett registered seven kills and six blocks for the `Cats while junior Ariel Baxterbeck (Menlo Park, Calif./Castilleja) had another solid outing, tallying six kills, nine digs and three blocks. Nobilio extended her streak of double-digit digs to 30 matches, finishing with 24 on the night.
Northwestern now has to quickly regroup as it welcomes 22nd-ranked Michigan to Welsh-Ryan Arena on Saturday, Oct. 4. The Wolverines are 13-2 on the season and 1-2 in Big Ten play after falling in five sets to 20th-ranked Wisconsin in Madison Friday night. Opening serve is at 7 p.m.