Nov. 27, 2010
Northwestern 3, No. 19 Michigan 1
Site: Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Ill.
Records: Northwestern (19-12, 9-11 Big Ten), Michigan (23-9, 12-8 Big Ten)
Up Next: NCAA Selection Show Sunday, Nov. 28 2 p.m. ESPNEWS
Box Score
Northwestern vs. Michigan Box Score 
2010 Northwestern Volleyball Statistics
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Playing in their final match at Welsh-Ryan Arena, Northwestern's seniors took control of the evening and ensured themselves a victory on Senior Night, leading the Wildcats to a 15-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-21 victory over 19th-ranked Michigan. Northwestern closes out the 2010 regular season with a 19-12 overall mark and finish 9-11 in the Big Ten and appear poised to make its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2005.
"I thought it was extremely fitting that our seniors stepped up and made sure they got a win tonight in their final home match," said head coach Keylor Chan. "This (senior) class has been through a lot during their time here, and you could sense after that first set this wasn't the way they wanted their final home match to end. Everyone on the court responded and rallied, and to get a victory over a team like Michigan is no small feat. Hopefully this wasn't their final match and we'll get to play some more volleyball next weekend."
Christina Kaelin (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) paced the Northwestern offensive attack, recording a match-high 15 kills with a .375 hitting percentage and a block. Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) finished with 11 kills and six blocks as she became just the fourth player in program history to surpass 500 career blocks, sitting at 502 after tonight.
Naomi Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) was a major force up front for the Wildcats as well, posting 10 kills while adding a match-best seven blocks in helping to lead Northwestern to the victory. Elyse Glab (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) dished out 42 assists to complement her eight digs and four blocks as well.
Stephanie Holthus (Burlington, Ill./Central) finished with six kills, 11 digs and three blocks for the Wildcats, with Madalyn Shalter (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf) recording five kills, 10 digs and a pair of blocks of her own. Julie Chin (Naperville, Ill./North) led all players with 17 digs and added a pair of service aces.
It did not look good for Northwestern in the early going, however, as Michigan found the early spark in the opening set, bursting out to a 10-3 lead to force a Wildcat timeout. The Wolverines would steadily increase that advantage and recorded the final three points of the opener to easily take set one 25-15.
Michigan carried that momentum into the early stages of set two, once again racing out to a comfortable five-point lead at 10-5. But Northwestern seemed to find its spark midway through the second stanza, putting together a 12-5 run to claim its first lead of the night at 17-15. The two teams would then battle down the stretch, combining for five ties and six lead changes, with Michigan appearing poised to take the commanding 2-0 lead with a 22-20 advantage. But five unanswered points by the Wildcats, including a pair of blocks by Johnson, turned the tide of the match as Northwestern took set two 25-22 to even things up at 1-1 heading into the intermission.
The Wildcats and Wolverines continued their back-and-forth rallies in set three as the two found themselves deadlocked at 16. But it was Northwestern that made its move, recording five of the next six points to pull in front 21-17, and held onto that four-point cushion at 24-20. Michigan fought off three set points to pull to within one at 24-23, but a kill by Johnson sealed the 25-23 victory and gave NU the 2-1 match advantage.
With a potential NCAA tournament berth on the line, and an energized crowd of 1,149 cheering them on, the Wildcats kept momentum on their side in set four, building a five-point cushion at 19-14 off a pair of kills from Shalter. Leading 24-21, Kaelin's attack fell in between a pair of diving Wolverines at the front of the net, giving Northwestern the 25-21 match-clinching victory.
Northwestern wraps up one of its most successful regular seasons under coach Chan, as the 19 victories are the most for the program since finishing 20-12 in 2005. The Wildcats' 9-11 Big Ten mark is their best since equaling that total in 2007 as Northwestern closes out the regular season tied for seventh-place overall with Indiana. The victory over Michigan snaps a five-match skid against the Wolverines as the Wildcats posted their fourth victory of the year over top-20 programs.
Now the Wildcats' fate is out of their hands as they wait to see if they will be one of the 64 teams invited to the 2010 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship. The selection show will take place between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. CT Sunday, Nov. 28, on ESPNEWS, with first and second round games being held next weekend at on-campus sights. NUsports.com will have complete coverage as Northwestern looks poised to make its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2005.
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