| Northwestern (15-9, 5-8 B1G) at No. 9 Illinois (18-6, 10-3 B1G) |
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| Date | Time | November 8 | 5:00 p.m. CT |
| Location | George Huff Hall | Champaign, Ill. |
| Live Stats | GameTracker |
| Watch Live | Big Ten Network and BTN2GO (Mike Wolf & Audrey Flaugh) |
| Social Media | @NUVball  | Northwestern Volleyball  | @nu_volleyball  |
| Notes (PDF) | Northwestern | Illinois |
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern will look to knock off ninth-ranked Illinois for the second time in four days when it makes the south trip down I-57 for a 5 p.m. match on Saturday, November 8. The contest will be televised live on the Big Ten Network with Mike Wolf handling play-by-play duties and Audrey Flaugh providing analysis.
Top-Ten Takedown
In defeating No. 9 Illinois on Wednesday night, the Wildcats slayed their first top-10 opponent since upsetting the second-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers in four sets on Nov. 26, 2011. The night before playing in Evanston, the Huskers had claimed their first-ever Big Ten Championship. The last time NU defeated an Illinois squad with a top-ten ranking prior to this week was on Nov. 5, 2010 when the 24th ranked Wildcats beat their sixth-ranked foes from Champaign in straight sets.
Frequent Five-Set Fights
Northwestern has won two of its last three tilts against Illinois, but four of the last five matches between the in-state rivals have been decided in five sets. Illinois won back-to-back five-setters on Oct. 17, 2012 in Champaign and Nov. 21, 2012 in Evanston before Chicago's Big Ten Team TM broke through with a five-set victory of its own on Oct. 23, 2013. The Illini won in straight sets on Thanksgiving Eve last season and the Wildcats protected their home court earlier this week with a 3-2 triumph.
Tashima The Triple Threat
Freshman Taylor Tashima became the second Big Ten player to record a triple-double when she put up 10 kills, 23 assists and 11 digs against No. 9 Illinois on Nov. 5. The newcomer narrowly missed the feat twice already this season with nine kills, 28 assists and a career-high 20 digs against Purdue on Oct. 24 and a career-high 14 kills, 26 assists and nine digs against Indiana on Oct. 25. Tashima is tied for third in the Big Ten and leads all freshmen with 10 doubles. Minnesota's Sarah Wilhite (10 kills, 10 blocks, 10 digs vs. OSU on 9/24) owns the league's other triple double this season.
Career-High Clips
Several Wildcats turned in career-best performances during the `Cats' homestand against Purdue and Indiana. Libero Caroline Niedospial notched a career-high 34 digs against No. 13 Purdue, tying her for fourth place on NU's all-time, single-match, record list. Outside hitter Kayla Morin notched 22 kills on 59 swings against the Boilermakers, both career highs. In the same match, setter Taylor Tashima finished with 20 digs, nine kills (career highs) and 28 assists. The following night against Indiana the freshman eclipsed her short-lived high in kills by five for a new best mark of 14.
Digging In
Libero Carks Niedospial has been a strong anchor for Northwestern's back row this season. The Evergreen Park, Ill., native ranks second in the Big Ten with 5.14 digs per set in conference play and second overall with 4.87. On Oct. 24 against No. 13 Purdue, the libero notched a career-high 34 digs in a five-set match against the Boilermakers. She has posted double-digit digs in 22 of 24 matches this season and 21-or-more digs 10 times.
For more notes and information about Saturday's match, please download the PDF above.
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