Nov. 22, 2008
2008 Northwestern Volleyball Statistics 
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Behind 15 kills from sophomore Brittani Gray (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore), Northwestern took the opening set against Indiana, but the Hoosiers would take the next three in handing the Wildcats a 25-20, 25-27, 18-25, 20-25 defeat at University Gym. Indiana sweeps the season series against NU and improves to 16-14 on the year and 8-10 in Big Ten play, while the `Cats fall to 8-21 overall and 2-16 in conference action.
Indiana started out strong on senior night, opening a 10-4 advantage, only to watch the Wildcats rally to take the lead at 17-14. NU would extend that lead to five at 22-17, then kept the Hoosiers at bay to take the opening set 25-20. Gray and fellow sophomore Naomi Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) sparked the offensive charge with three kills apiece while senior Chelsy Hyser (Belvidere, Ill./Belvidere) added a pair of her own. Hyser led the way defensively with three blocks, complimented by a pair each from sophomore Elyse Glab (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) and Johnson. Glab dished out nine assists in the opening stanza, moving her past Heather Fredin into seventh-place on the all-time assist list at NU.
Both the Wildcats and Hoosiers traded points through the majority of the second set, with Indiana using a five-point run to build a four-point cushion at 20-16. Northwestern rallied back to tie it up at 24 apiece and was able to thwart off three Indiana set points, but the Hoosiers held off the late charge to take the 27-25 victory. Gray notched five kills for the `Cats and was aided by three from both Hyser and junior Ariel Baxterbeck (Menlo Park, Calif./Temecula). Junior Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) added seven digs for NU, as well as a pair of key service aces to keep NU alive down the stretch.
Indiana used that momentum into the third stanza, grinding its way to a six-point lead at 16-10. The Wildcats clawed back to within three at 18-15, but it was the Hoosiers who ended with a 7-3 run to take the 25-18 victory. Gray and Hyser each added three more kills on the night, with Hyser adding a pair of blocks defensively. Glab dished out 10 assists while Nobilio dug four Indiana attempts.
The Hoosiers once again began to pull away in the fourth set, using a 6-1 run to build a 17-11 lead over NU. The Wildcats used a 7-3 run of their own to trim the gap to 20-18, but Indiana tallied five of the next seven points to take the set 25-20 and close out the match. Erica Short, the Big Ten's kill leader, tallied 22 to lead the Hoosiers, aided by 12 from Ashley Benson.
Gray's 15 kills was complimented by 11 from Baxterbeck, with Hyser adding nine of her own and six from freshman Madalyn Shalter (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf). Hyser and Glab controlled the net defensively for NU, recording eight and five blocks respectively, while Glab also added 40 assists and 14 digs on the night for her sixth double-double of the season. She now is in sole possession of seventh-place on the all-time assist list with 2,233 for her career. Nobilio led the team with 21 digs while Shalter added nine.
Northwestern wraps up the 2008 season next weekend with a pair of home matches, beginning with 18th-ranked Purdue on Friday, Nov. 28. The Wildcats close out the season by hosting in-state rival 16th-ranked Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 29. Both matches get underway at 7 p.m.