Oct. 29, 2010
No. 20 Minnesota 3, No. 24 Northwestern 1
Site: Sports Pavilion Minneapolis, Minn.
Records: Northwestern (15-7, 5-6 Big Ten); Minnesota (17-7, 7-5 Big Ten)
Up Next: at Iowa Saturday, Oct. 30 7 p.m.
Box Score
Northwestern at Minnesota Box Score 
2010 Northwestern Volleyball Statistics
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) joined elite company Friday night, becoming the 19th member of the Northwestern 1,000-kill club early in set four. Unfortunately Minnesota would put a damper on the night by handing the Wildcats a 17-25, 23-25, 25-16, 18-25 defeat at the Sports Pavilion.
"We played well at times tonight, but Minnesota just played a little bit better," said head coach Keylor Chan. "Once again we fell behind early and made great efforts to come back, but we can't do that against quality team like Minnesota. Again, we just need to work on that consistency. We're getting better, but still have work to do. But regardless of that, it is a great accomplishment for Sabel (to reach 1,000 kills). She has been the heart of this team and I'm incredibly proud of her."
Moffett finished with eight kills on the night, bringing her career total to 1,003. She becomes the newest member of the elite group since former teammate Courtnie Paulus in 2007. Moffett also finished with eight blocks on the night, giving her 22 total against Minnesota this season following her career-best 14 against the Gophers on Oct. 10. She now sits at 462 career total blocks, three back of another former teammate, Brittney Aldridge, for fifth all-time in program history.
Christina Kaelin (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) posted a season-best 17 kills on the night to lead the Northwestern offensive charge, followed by eight from both Moffett and Madalyn Shalter (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf), who also contributed seven blocks. Naomi Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy), playing in front of a large contingent in her hometown, posted six kills and six blocks on the night.
Elyse Glab (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) finished with 38 assists and 12 digs on the night with Julie Chin (Naperville, Ill./North) recording a team-best 13 digs for the Wildcats.
Looking to avenge Northwestern's 3-1 victory at Welsh-Ryan on Oct. 10, Minnesota played the aggressor early in the opening set. The Gophers burst out to an early 10-4 lead, extending that to as many as 11 at 18-7. The Wildcats were able to get to within six at 22-16, but the deficit was too large to overcome as Minnesota took the opener 25-17.
Northwestern gained the early edge in set two, recording seven of the first nine points to build a 7-2 advantage early, only to see Minnesota use a 5-0 run to tie the match at seven. From that point on, the two combined for eight ties and three lead changes until an 8-0 Gopher had Minnesota serving for set point at 24-18. Northwestern would fight off five set points, pulling to within one at 24-23, but once again the deficit was too great as the Wildcats drop set two 25-23.
Similar to set two, Northwestern was able to gain the early advantage, building a 13-9 lead. This time, however, it was the Wildcats that used a 9-2 run late, including a pair of service aces from Shalter, to take the commanding 23-15 lead. Northwestern then recorded two of the final three points of the set to earn the 25-16 decision and keep the match alive.
Moffett's 1,000th kill came early in set four as Northwestern and Minnesota combined for 12 ties and eight lead changes in the set alone, leading up to a 17-17 deadlock. But energized by its hometown crowd, Minnesota used an 8-0 run to pull ahead 24-17 down the stretch in set four and seal the victory with a 25-18 win in the final stanza.
Both teams came up big at the nets offensively and defensively as Minnesota held a 19-14 edge in total blocks, including 10 from Lauren Gibbemeyer, who posted a double-double with 14 kills for the Gophers. Offensively, the Wildcats hit .339 to the Gophers' .368 as the two teams battled to 25 ties and 14 lead changes during the span of the match.
Northwestern looks to get back in the win column as it heads south to Iowa City for a Big Ten Network showdown with the Hawkeyes Saturday evening. Iowa is 6-14 on the year and 1-10 in the Big Ten. The match will air live from Carver-Hawkeye Arena, with the opening serve set for 7:05 p.m.
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