Oct. 28, 2010
No. 24 Northwestern (15-6, 5-5 Big Ten) at No. 20 Minnesota (16-7, 6-5 Big Ten)
Friday, Oct. 29 Sports Pavilion (Minneapolis, Minn.) 7 p.m.
No. 24 Northwestern (15-6, 5-5 Big Ten) at Iowa (6-14, 1-10 Big Ten)
Saturday, Oct. 30 Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, Iowa) 7 p.m.
TV: Saturday's match at Iowa will be televised LIVE on the Big Ten Network
Streaming Video: BigTenNetwork.com (Minnesota match)
Live Stats: Minnesota
In-Match Twitter Updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Northwestern Volleyball Weekly Release 
Opening Serve
Northwestern begins the second half of the 2010 Big Ten schedule on the road, beginning with a trip to Minneapolis to battle the 20th-ranked Gophers at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29. The Wildcats then head south to Iowa City for a Big Ten Network showdown with the Hawkeyes at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30.
Wildcats Return To the Big Ten Network
Northwestern's match at Iowa Saturday evening will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network, the Wildcats' third and final appearance on the Network this season. Lisa Byington will handle the play-by-play duties with Megan Bower serving as the play-by-play analyst.
Scouting the Golden Gophers
2010: 16-7 overall, 6-5 Big Ten. Ranked 20th in this week's AVCA poll.
Last Week: L vs. Illinois (2-3), W vs. Wisconsin (3-1), W vs. Iowa (3-0).
Head Coach: Mike Hebert (UC Santa Barbara, 1966). 15th season at Minnesota (372-134, .735); 35th season overall (944-355, .727).
Key Players: Tabi Love (So., OH): 312 kills, .237 hitting pct., 19 service aces, 44 total blocks; Ashley Wittman (Fr., OH): 285 kills, .260 hitting pct., 259 digs, 56 total blocks; Tori Dixon (Fr., MB): 184 kills, .295 hitting pct., 73 total blocks; Ariana Filho (Jr., MB): 109 kills, .328 hitting pct., 71 total blocks; Stephanie Nucci (Jr., S): 551 assists, 20 kills, 11 service aces, 21 total blocks; Jessica Granquist (Jr., LIB): 422 digs, seven service aces.
Scouting the Hawkeyes
2010: 6-14 overall, 1-10 Big Ten.
Last Week: L vs. Wisconsin (2-3), L vs. Illinois (0-3), L at Minnesota (0-3).
Head Coach: Sharon Dingman (Northern Michigan, 1984). Third season at Iowa (33-51, .393); 20th season overall (369-263, .584).
Key Players: Becky Walters (Sr., MB): 176 kills, .216 hitting pct., 31 service aces, 71 total blocks; Mallory Husz (Jr., MB): 170 kills, .241 hitting pct., 61 total blocks; Megan Eskew (Jr., OH): 159 kills, 157 digs, 14 service aces, 19 total blocks; Rachael Bedell (Fr., OH): 143 kills, 39 total blocks; Paige Stevens (Jr., S): 483 assists, 148 digs, 23 total blocks; Bethany Yeager (Fr., LIB): 340 digs, six service aces.
Series Information
Northwestern and Minnesota get together for the 61st time Friday with the Golden Gophers holding a 43-17 edge in the all-time series. The Wildcats won the last meeting between the two, a 3-1 victory at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Oct. 10. But Minnesota has been especially tough on its home court, winning 18 of the last 19 matches against Northwestern at the Sports Pavilion. Saturday marks the 63rd meeting in the series between Northwestern and Iowa, with the Wildcats holding a 35-26-1 all-time record. NU has won the last two meetings against Iowa, including a 3-0 victory at Welsh-Ryan on Oct. 8. But the Hawkeyes have won the last two meetings in Iowa City, including a 3-0 sweep of Northwestern last year.
Moffett Five Kills Away From 1,000
Senior Sabel Moffett continues to establish herself among the Wildcats' all-time greats. She enters this weekend's matches with 995 career kills, needing just five more to become the 19th member of the Northwestern 1,000-kill club and the first since Courtnie Paulus Mims in 2007. Moffett, who set a single-season program record with her .349 hitting percentage in 2009, currently ranks first all-time with a career .307 attack percentage, three points better than second-place Erika Lange. Moffett also looks to move up among the Wildcats' career block leaders, currently eighth all-time in solo blocks (81), fourth in block assists (373) and sixth in total blocks (454).
Wildcats Among Big Ten Leaders
Northwestern, which enters the weekend in a five-way tie for fourth-place in the Big Ten, finds itself among the conference leaders in a number of categories. The Wildcats rank sixth in hitting percentage (.241) and service aces per set (1.18) and seventh in opponent hitting percentage (.181), assists per set (12.34) and digs per set (13.97). Individually, five Wildcats have made their mark as well as Sabel Moffett ranks second in blocks per set (1.46) and eighth in hitting percentage (.336) with Naomi Johnson ranking ninth in service aces per set (0.30) and 10th in hitting percentage (.328). Additionally, Elyse Glab sits second in assists per set (11.25), Alex Ayers is 10th in service aces per set (0.29) and Julie Chin ranks 10th in digs per set (3.57).
Secure Your Spot For the 2010 Camp Out With The 'Cats!
On November 6, the `Cats face Wisconsin and following the match, girls in the 8th grade and under are invited to the 3rd annual Camp Out with the 'Cats! At the event, guests will spend the night with the volleyball team, where they can participate in a volleyball clinic, eat pizza with the team, play games and stay up late to watch a movie. Time is running out to register for the popular camp out, as the deadline for registration is Friday, October 29. Call the Wildcat marketing department at (847) 467-6862 or email wildcatmarketing@northwestern.edu to register or for any other questions.
For the complete weekly release, click the PDF link above.
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