Oct. 10, 2010
No. 24 Northwestern 3, No. 16 Minnesota 1
Site: Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Ill.
TV: Match will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network Sunday at 6 p.m. CT
Records: Northwestern (15-2, 5-1 Big Ten), Minnesota (14-4, 4-2 Big Ten)
Up Next: at No. 18 Michigan Friday, Oct. 15 6 p.m. CT
Box Score
Northwestern vs. Minnesota Box Score 
2010 Northwestern Volleyball Statistics
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Throughout the week, Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) had made it her personal mission to get fans out to Welsh-Ryan Arena for the Big Ten Network showdown against 16th-ranked Minnesota Sunday afternoon. She ended up turning it into a block party, recording a career-best 14 blocks in leading the 24th-ranked Wildcats to a 20-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-21 victory over the Gophers. Northwestern improves to 15-2 on the year, its best start in program history.
"Our entire team came ready to play tonight, and especially Sabel," said head coach Keylor Chan. "She was having a quiet match offensively, but more than made up for it on the block. That seemed to energize the rest of the team, and this was a great team effort to beat a very good Minnesota team. Just another phenomenal weekend to be a 'Cat."
The 14 blocks by Moffett is tied for the second-most in program history for a single match, falling one block shy of former teammate Chelsy Hyser's 15-block performance against Michigan in 2006. Moffett ties Erika Lange, the program's all-time block leader, for most blocks in a four-set match. In the effort, she moved into fourth all-time in the Northwestern record books in block assists (364) and sixth in total blocks (443).
But Moffett wasn't the only Wildcat who participated in the block party as the Wildcats held an 18-9 advantage over the Gophers on the afternoon. Madalyn Shalter (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf) finished with five, complemented by four each from Stephanie Holthus (Burlington, Ill./Central) and Elyse Glab (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection). Naomi Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) added three against her hometown team.
Offensively, Christina Kaelin (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) paced the Northwestern, recording 13 kills on the afternoon, including six in the opening set. Johnson added 10 kills of her own with Holthus and Shalter adding eight and seven respectively. Moffett, Glab and Alex Ayers (Playa del Rey, Calif./Marymount) each finished with three for the Wildcats. Ayers also finished with 11 digs, second only to Julie Chin's (Naperville, Ill./North) 17.
Minnesota looked to have the early edge in the match, using a consistent attack to defeat Northwestern 25-20 in the opening set. After the Wildcats built a comfortable 16-9 lead in set two, the Gophers would claw their way back in, tying things up at 18. But NU would use a 7-3 run down the stretch, with a block from Moffett and Holthus providing the decisive point, to take set two 25-21.
Set three once again found the teams in an 18-18 deadlock as neither was able to build more than a two-point advantage. But once again, it was Northwestern that stepped up down the stretch, outscoring Minnesota 7-4 to gain the 25-22 victory and the 2-1 match lead.
The 15-2 start is the best in the history of the program for Northwestern, besting 14-3 starts in both 1978 and 1987. The Wildcats improved to 5-1 in Big Ten play for the first time since 2002 and moved into a three-way tie for first atop the conference standings with Illinois and Michigan.
It now sets up a crucial Michigan road trip for the Wildcats, who will battle the Wolverines in Ann Arbor on Friday, Oct. 15 in a showdown of two first-place teams. Northwestern then heads up the road to East Lansing to face Michigan State on Saturday, Oct. 16.
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