Oct. 17, 2009
Northwestern vs. Minnesota Box Score 
2009 Northwestern Volleyball Statistics
Box Score
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern stole an opening set victory over sixth-ranked Minnesota, but the Golden Gophers rallied to take the next three, defeating the Wildcats 25-23, 18-25, 21-25, 23-25 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Junior Naomi Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) paced the NU attack against her hometown team, knocking down 13 kills and adding five blocks while junior Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) notched a double-double, tying a career-best 10 blocks to compliment her 10 kills.
Sophomore Alexandra Ayers (Playa del Rey, Calif./Marymount) added nine kills and six digs for the Wildcats, with redshirt freshman Kathryn Chrystal (Crystal Lake, Ill./Central) adding five kills and five blocks. Both teams came up big at the nets defensively, with Northwestern edging Minnesota 16-14 in total blocks.
Junior Elyse Glab (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) dished out 36 assists on the night, becoming just the fourth player in program history to eclipse 3,000 for her career. Glab sits at 3,034, and had five kills and five blocks for Northwestern. Senior Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) finished with 27 digs on the night, leaving her seven shy of 2,000 for her career.
Minnesota (15-5, 6-2 Big Ten) looked poised to set the tone early, building a 14-10 edge on Northwestern (11-9, 2-6 Big Ten) midway through set one. But the Wildcats would respond by knocking down the next six points to take a 16-14 advantage. The two then battled down the stretch, exchanging points until a kill from Ayers and a pair from Moffett closed out the 25-23 opening set victory.
Chrystal had a team-best four kills in set one, with Johnson and Moffett each adding three a piece. Moffett added four blocks, including a pair of solo blocks, while Nobilio had a set-high eight digs to anchor the Wildcat defense.
Set two again was very competitive from the opening serve, as the teams combined for nine ties and four lead changes. Tied at 17, Minnesota would put together an 8-1 run to take control and close out the second set 25-18.
Johnson was all over the court for the Wildcats, knocking down six kills and adding a block for Northwestern, with Moffett and Ayers each adding two kills each. Glab dished out 10 assists for the 'Cats in the set.
The Golden Gophers would notch seven of the first eight points in set three to take an early advantage. The Wildcats closed the gap to one on several occasions but were never able to catch Minnesota, who again used a late run to take control of the match with a 25-21 third set victory.
Facing elimination, Northwestern came out with a renewed fire, bursting out to a quick 9-3 lead on the Gophers. But Minnesota continued to fight back, using an 8-2 run to take an 18-15 late. The Wildcats would rally, tying the match at 20, 21 and again at 22, but the Gophers held off Northwestern for the 25-23 decision.
Minnesota had four players finish with double-digit kills, led by Hailey Cowles 12 to compliment her 19 digs. Ariana Filho and Megan Wilson each added 11 while Lauren Gibbemeyer had 10 kills and seven blocks for the Gophers.
Northwestern now embarks on a crucial four-game road trip, beginning Friday, Oct. 23 in Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes. The Wildcats then head to Madison, Wis., for a showdown with the Badgers on Saturday, Oct. 24, in a match which will mark the midway point of the Big Ten season.