Sept. 18, 2010
Northwestern 3, Marquette 1
29th Annual Wildcat Classic
Site: Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Ill.
Records: Northwestern (10-1), Marquette (7-5)
Up Next: vs. Indiana Friday, Sept. 24 7 p.m.
Box Score
Northwestern vs. Marquette Box Score 
2010 Northwestern Volleyball Statistics
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The 29th annual Wildcat Classic saved the best for last as Northwestern and Marquette staged a memorable championship match. The Wildcats dropped the opening set, but battled back to defeat the Golden Eagles 21-25, 28-26, 25-13, 27-25 to claim the Wildcat Classic crown. Four different Wildcats notched double-digit kills on the night, led by Naomi Johnson's (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) 16 as she went on to capture MVP honors.
"What an incredible match," said head coach Keylor Chan. "It was great to see the girls respond the way they did. We hadn't played the best volleyball over the weekend, but they stepped up when it counted. Marquette is a great team and they matched us point-for-point all night long. I thought Naomi was phenomenal all weekend long and it was a great way to cap the preseason as we head into Big Ten play."
Johnson's 16 kills came on 28 attempts with just three errors for a .464 hitting percentage. She finished the weekend with 37 kills, a .403 hitting percentage and nine blocks en route to earning the first tournament MVP honor of her career.
Elyse Glab (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) and Stephanie Holthus (Burlington, Ill./Central) joined Johnson on the all-tournament team as Glab finished with 48 assists and a pair of blocks while Holthus added 11 kills, 10 digs and a pair of blocks as well. Glab upped her career assist total to 3,962, leaving her just 38 helpers shy of becoming the third Wildcat to reach 4,000 career assists.
Holthus finished the weekend with 28 kills, 27 digs and five blocks, knocking down the 100th kill of her career against Marquette. Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif/Chapparal) added 13 kills and five blocks up front for the Wildcats while Christina Kaelin (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) set a season-high with 12 kills in the victory.
After dropping a closely contest first set, Northwestern battled Marquette in set two, but still found itself trailing 24-22 and facing a 2-0 deficit. But the Wildcats fought off three-straight set points before taking the lead at 27-26 off a kill from Johnson. Holthus then sealed the set with a solo block, changing the momentum of the match.
"We knew if we didn't get that second set, we were in big trouble," said Chan. "The girls never gave up and got the key points when it counted, and it really did change the momentum of the match."
Feeding off the emotion of the second set decision, Northwestern rolled in set three 25-13. But the fourth set would play out to be another classic as neither team was able to establish a lead of more than three points. The Wildcats found themselves again facing set point, but a Golden Eagle service error and a block from Johnson and Glab put the Wildcats on top 25-24. It seemed to be the spark the 'Cats needed as they finished off the Eagles 27-25 to keep the title in Evanston.
With the victory, Northwestern closes out the preseason portion of the schedule with a 10-1 record, including three tournament titles. It marks the first time since 1998 that the Wildcats have had 10 victories prior to the beginning of the Big Ten season.
Now Northwestern will set its sights on the always challenging Big Ten schedule. The Wildcats host Indiana in the conference opener Friday, Sept. 24, followed by a showdown with Purdue on Saturday, Sept. 25, at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Opening serve for both matches is scheduled for 7 p.m.
MATCH NOTES
Northwestern improves to 2-0 all-time against Marquette, last defeating the Golden Eagles 3-0 in 1996.
The Wildcats won both matches against Big East opponents this season (Pittsburgh, Marquette) and extend their winning streak against the conference to 10 matches, dating back to the 2002 season.
Moffett reached the 400-block milestone against the Golden Eagles, moving into eighth-place all-time in program history and becoming just the eighth Wildcat to accomplish the feat.
Holthus notched her third double-double of the season, finishing with 11 kills and 10 digs.
In addition to the three Wildcats, Marquette's Ashley Beyer and Rabbecka Gonyo, Charlotte's Bianca Rouse and Harvard's Mikaelle Comrie were named to the Wildcat Classic all-tournament team.
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