Nov. 6, 2010
Wisconsin 3, No. 24 Northwestern 2
Site: Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Ill.
Records: Northwestern (17-8, 7-7 Big Ten), Wisconsin (15-10, 4-10 Big Ten)
Up Next: at Purdue Friday, Nov. 12 6 p.m. CT
Box Score
Northwestern vs. Wisconsin Box Score 
2010 Northwestern Volleyball Statistics
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) posted a career-best 27 kills with a .524 hitting percentage and five blocks, but unfortunately it wasn't enough as the Wildcats drop a heartbreaking 25-16, 22-25, 17-25, 25-21, 19-21 decision to Wisconsin at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
"Tonight was the type of match that if you're a fan of volleyball, you want to see," said head coach Keylor Chan. "I thought both teams really wanted this win tonight, and it showed out on the court. I don't think it's a case of what we did wrong, rather than what Wisconsin did right. They got the key points when they needed them, but I'm proud of the effort from our girls. We've got a key stretch of the schedule coming up, and now we need to learn from this weekend and use it to get better."
Moffett's career-best 27 kills came on 42 swings with only five errors on the night, giving her a .524 attack percentage. Her previous high was 24 kills against Indiana back in 2009, while the 42 attempts ties her career-best that same night against the Hoosiers. Moffett also added five blocks and three digs to lead the Wildcat offensive charge.
Four other Wildcats recorded double-digit kill totals on the night, led by 12 from Christina Kaelin (Louisville, Ky./Assumption). Naomi Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) added 11 while Stephanie Holthus (Burlington, Ill./Central) notched the ninth double-double of her career, finishing with 10 kills and 15 digs. Johnson and Holthus also combined for seven blocks.
Elyse Glab dished out a season-best 60 assists for the Wildcats as she became the third player in Northwestern history to surpass 1,000 assists in four-consecutive seasons. Glab also finished with a pair of kills, seven digs and a block on the night.
Defensively, Madalyn Shalter (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf) was solid in the back row for the Wildcats, finishing with a career-best 21 digs. She was one of three 'Cats to record double-digit digs on the night, complemented by 15 from both Holthus and Julie Chin (Naperville, Ill./North).
Fresh off is riveting three-set sweep of sixth-ranked Illinois Friday evening, Northwestern didn't miss a beat in the opening stanza, roaring past Wisconsin 25-16 while posting no attack errors - its third-straight set with no errors carried over from the night before. With the set tied at 11, the Wildcats would piece together a 12-3 run to gain control before taking the opener.
Set two proved to be the most competitive of the match as the Wildcats and Badgers combined for 11 ties and six lead changes, the last tie coming at 22-22 late in the stanza. But Wisconsin would notch the final three points to steal set two 25-22, then carried that momentum into the third with a comfortable 25-17 decision to take control of the match with a 2-1 advantage.
Moffett and the Wildcats would surge to the early lead in set four, using a 14-4 run from the onset and made it look like the set would turn into a rout. But the Badgers weren't about to go down quietly, putting together a 16-8 run to pull to within just two at 22-20. Following a Northwestern timeout, the 'Cats responded with kills from Shalter and Moffett to take control and closed out the fourth, forcing the decisive fifth set.
Once again, it appeared the Wildcats were on the verge of breaking the final stanza open, pulling out to a three-point cushion at 9-6. But that merely set the stage for a classic final run in the history of the rivalry as Wisconsin rallied back to tie the set at 12. From that point on, the teams combined for 10 ties and four lead changes, with Northwestern fighting off four set points and Wisconsin rallying back from a pair. But after nearly two and a half hours, it came down to just a pair of points as a pair of kills from Allison Wack sealed the match for the Badgers.
With the split over the weekend, Northwestern finds itself back in a familiar position - in a four-way tie for fifth-place in the Big Ten standings with Indiana, Ohio State and Purdue. That sets up a crucial road trip for the Wildcats this upcoming weekend as they will face both the Boilermakers and Hoosiers on their home courts, beginning in West Lafayette with a 6 p.m. CT opening serve against Purdue Friday, Nov. 12.
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