Oct. 1, 2011
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Welsh-Ryan Arena)
Score: Northwestern 3, Indiana 0
Records: NU (10-5, 1-3 Big Ten), Indiana (8-8, 0-4 conference)
Next NU Event: Wednesday, Oct. 5 -- at Penn State, 7 p.m.
EVANSTON, Ill. -- In front of another spirited home crowd at Welsh-Ryan Arena, the Northwestern Wildcats knocked off the Indiana Hoosiers to capture the first Big Ten win of the season Saturday night, 3-0 (25-10, 25-15, 25-17). Stephanie Holthus paced the 'Cats with 11 kills in the win.
"We played exceptionally well in all phases tonight," said Northwestern head coach Keylor Chan. "We've been working really hard as a team and we executed against a great opponent. We were able to sustain the intensity tonight and that was huge for us."
The home team blitzed the Hoosiers in the opening set, 25-10, on the heels of a 12-2 run to close the frame. NU led throughout from the opening serve in the first stanza.
Senior Alex Ayers (Playa Del Ray, Calif./Marymount) served for a seven-point run during the span when NU distanced itself from the Hoosiers. Holthus (Burlington, Ill./Central) racked up four kills in the first set to lead the 'Cats. Libero Julie Chin (Naperville, Ill./North) kept several rallies alive with an array of acrobatic digs. She finished the set with six.
NU continued to apply great pressure in the second set. The score was tied 12 midway through when the 'Cats cranked it up yet again and closed out the set on a 13-3 run. Several players contributed during the stretch including Hannah Crippen (Plainfield, Ill./North) who tallied a service ace, Katie Dutchman (Del Mar, Calif/Torrey Pines) who registered a pair of kills and an assist and Kathryn Chrystal (Crystal Lake, Ill/Central) who had an assist, a solo block and a kill. The Wildcats won the second set, 25-15.
The third set was the tightest of all as it featured 11 tie scores and four lead changes. In fact, it was the first time all night in which the Hoosiers held an outright advantage. Another huge run, this time to the tune of 10-2, helped Northwestern seal the triumph.
Again, Holthus led all players in the match with 11 kills and Chrystal sent down six total blocks. Chin finished the night with a match-best 15 digs, while Crippen had three aces and Ayers added a pair.
Northwestern returns to action on Wednesday, Oct. 5 with a match on the road against No. 9 Penn State. That contest can be seen live on the Big Ten Network at 7 p.m. CT. Tune in to BTN tomorrow during intermission of the Wisconsin and Ohio State match to see an interview with Chan as he previews the upcoming slate. That match starts at 5 p.m. CT.
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