Aug. 29, 2009
Northwestern vs. Western Carolina Box Score 
2009 Northwestern Volleyball Statistics
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- After two heartbreaking defeats at the Kentucky Classic, Northwestern closed out its stay in the Bluegrass State in style, dominating Western Carolina from the opening serve to capture its first victory of the season, 25-7, 25-11, 25-11. Junior Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) led the NU charge with 10 kills and seven blocks on the afternoon.
Coming off its tough five-set loss to Florida International, the Wildcats came out firing, tallying 10 of the first 11 points of the set. Leading 13-2 early, Northwestern extended its lead to 16 at 22-6, thanks in part to back-to-back service aces from senior Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg), then kept the pressure coming in a dominating 25-7 victory.
The Wildcats held the Catamounts without a kill in the opening set, as senior Ariel Baxterbeck (Menlo Park, Calif./Castilleja), Moffett and sophomore Madalyn Shalter (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf) each had three kills in the balanced NU attack. Junior Elyse Glab (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) dished out 12 assists in the opening set as well.
Scoring came easier for Western Carolina early in the second set, as they jumped out to a 5-1 lead. But Northwestern would respond with 13 unanswered points to take the lead at 14-5 and never looked back. The Wildcats extended that cushion to 16 at 24-8 before closing out the set with a 25-11 victory
Moffett added five more kills in the second set, complimented by a handful of blocks to help keep the Catamounts at bay. Baxterbeck added a pair of her own, and sophomore Natalie Taylor (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines) notched her first kill in a Wildcat uniform in her Northwestern debut.
Set three was the most competitive of the match, but Northwestern once again took control early and never let go. The Wildcats used a 7-0 run to take a 13-6 advantage, but that was just the beginning. The 'Cats extended their cushion to double-digits for the third consecutive set, leading by as many as 14 at 24-10 before a block by Moffett and Shalter sealed NU's first victory of the year.
Baxterbeck and Shalter closed out impressive weekends, finishing with seven and six kills respectively, and had a combined 16 digs between the two as well. Redshirt freshman Kathryn Chrystal (Crystal Lake, Ill./Central) had an impressive Wildcat debut as well, finishing with five kills and a solo block. Glab led the'Cats in both assists (31) and digs (11) in the victory, as Nobilio finished with nine digs.
Northwestern remains on the road next weekend, traveling south to Indianapolis to compete in the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational. The Wildcats open up the tournament with a double header on Saturday, Sept. 5, facing Miami (Ohio) at 9 a.m. CT before taking on the host Jaguars at 6 p.m. NU closes out the two-day tournament bright and early Sunday morning, facing Western Kentucky at 11:30 a.m. CT on Sept. 6.