July 12, 2011
Northwestern's 2011 Volleyball Schedule
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern has released its 2011 season schedule, announced today (July 12) by head coach Keylor Chan. In addition to welcoming new Big Ten opponent Nebraska to Evanston on Nov. 26, NU will host the 30th installment its Wildcat Classic home tournament.
Tickets for Northwestern volleyball will go on sale Monday, Aug. 1. Season tickets will be available online at NUsports.com or by calling 1-888-GO-PURPLE (467-8775). With the addition of Nebraska to the conference, the Big Ten in 2011 will showcase the best collegiate volleyball in the nation moreso than ever before.
"Our fans can expect a team that is going to play hard and really improve throughout the season," said Chan. "We have been able to establish some continuity in our coaching staff and our young players know what it takes to win matches. With Nebraska now in the Big Ten, there is not a more competitive volleyball conference in the country. There is a whole new element to what we do now -- this will be an exciting year."
Northwestern opens the 2011 campaign Aug. 26-27 at the Utah Classic hosted by Utah. There, the Wildcats will face Cal State Northridge, Weber State and the Utes, who defeated NU in an exciting five-set classic at the 2010 Northwestern Challenge in Evanston.
"This is a good opener for us," said Chan. "Utah is a good team with a lot of tradition that is in transition moving from the Mountain West to the Pac-12. With the other two teams, I think this tournament will be a perfect gauge for us on the first weekend."
Northwestern then plays in the Chicagoland Challenge Sept. 2-3 at UIC before traveling to the Magnolia Invitational hosted by Ole Miss on Sept. 9-10.
"Ole Miss came to our Wildcat Classic last year, so this year we are heading down to their tournament," Chan said. "They are a good team that made the NCAA Tournament last year and pushed us in our match. They will be good again this season so it will be another strong test, especially playing down in unfamiliar territory against an opponent that knows how to win."
Northwestern closes out its nonconference schedule with the 30th installment of the Wildcat Classic Sept. 16-17 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats welcome Duquesne, Colgate and New Mexico State for the tournament.
"Our goal was to schedule teams who can push us and show us what we need to work on for the Big Ten season," Chan said. "New Mexico State is a very good team that is always at the top of their conference standings and regularly qualifies for the NCAA Tournament. Duquesne also is a well-coached, veteran team that is under-rated in their conference and nationally. Colgate gives the field another academics-oriented program similar to ourselves."
The Big Ten season begins with a challenging road trip to Wisconsin and Minnesota Sept. 23-25 before Northwestern returns home for seven of its next 10 matches. Saturday, Oct. 15, against Michigan will be Alumni Night while Saturday, Oct. 29, will be the incredibly popular Campout With The 'Cats event.
"With a young team it is good to play so many early matches at home, but then conversely that means at the end you are away a lot," Chan said. "I think it gives our kids a chance to get their feet underneath them and work toward playing better at the end of the season, which is something we pride ourselves on."
The newest addition to the Big Ten, perennial national power Nebraska, makes its first visit to Evanston on Saturday, Nov. 26, in the regular-season finale. With the addition of a 12th team to the conference slate, two teams become "one-plays" to maintain the normal 20-game league schedule. In addition to facing Nebraska once, NU will play Iowa only on the road in 2011.
"Nebraska is one of the elite programs in the nation," Chan said. "They have a tremendous fan base and support, and their tradition is like none other in college volleyball. Our goal is to get better throughout the year so that we are playing our best when Nebraska comes to town."
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