Box Score | Season Stats
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Senior outside hitter Rafae Strobos put forth a career effort Friday night to help Northwestern edge Syracuse in the second match of a doubleheader at the UNI Tournament.
Strobos recorded her second career double-double (her first came earlier in the day Friday) with a career-high 15 kills and 11 digs.
"Rafae just brings a calmness," head coach Shane Davis said. "Her feet are always set, and she is ready to make a play. She has a great vision for where the block is and has a lot of shots in her toolbox. She did an outstanding job for us tonight, and I am really impressed with her steadiness today."
Northwestern (7-4) beat the Orange in five sets, with a 15-9 decision in the final frame clinching the match.
"Tonight felt good," Strobos said. "We have been going through changes as a team, so it's really important for everybody to just come on the court ready."
Several other Wildcats had significant nights as well. Symone Abbott had 14 kills and a career-high 18 digs for her third double-double of the season, and Caleigh Ryan, playing in the 6-2 system, had a match-high 25 assists to go along with 11 digs.
Maddie Slater added 11 kills, while hitting .529. She once again leads the all-time hitting percentage list at Northwestern with a .319 mark.
Northwestern held a slim lead throughout the first set, and with the score 18-14, it went on a 7-1 run to close out the set and take a 1-0 advantage in the match.
After trading sets two and three, the Wildcats held a 2-1 lead but lost by a wide margin in the fourth to allow Syracuse to tie things up at two. The team responded with a big run to open the fifth and held it to secure the win.
"We were able to come back in set five and forget about set four and do a nice job on our side of the net," head coach Shane Davis said. "We had 10 digs in just set five, which shows a mentality of the ball is not going to hit the floor."
Chicago's Big Ten Team looks to take home the championship tomorrow when it plays tournament host Northern Iowa at noon.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Senior outside hitter Rafae Strobos put forth a career effort Friday night to help Northwestern edge Syracuse in the second match of a doubleheader at the UNI Tournament.
Strobos recorded her second career double-double (her first came earlier in the day Friday) with a career-high 15 kills and 11 digs.
"Rafae just brings a calmness," head coach Shane Davis said. "Her feet are always set, and she is ready to make a play. She has a great vision for where the block is and has a lot of shots in her toolbox. She did an outstanding job for us tonight, and I am really impressed with her steadiness today."
Northwestern (7-4) beat the Orange in five sets, with a 15-9 decision in the final frame clinching the match.
"Tonight felt good," Strobos said. "We have been going through changes as a team, so it's really important for everybody to just come on the court ready."
Several other Wildcats had significant nights as well. Symone Abbott had 14 kills and a career-high 18 digs for her third double-double of the season, and Caleigh Ryan, playing in the 6-2 system, had a match-high 25 assists to go along with 11 digs.
Maddie Slater added 11 kills, while hitting .529. She once again leads the all-time hitting percentage list at Northwestern with a .319 mark.
Northwestern held a slim lead throughout the first set, and with the score 18-14, it went on a 7-1 run to close out the set and take a 1-0 advantage in the match.
After trading sets two and three, the Wildcats held a 2-1 lead but lost by a wide margin in the fourth to allow Syracuse to tie things up at two. The team responded with a big run to open the fifth and held it to secure the win.
"We were able to come back in set five and forget about set four and do a nice job on our side of the net," head coach Shane Davis said. "We had 10 digs in just set five, which shows a mentality of the ball is not going to hit the floor."
Chicago's Big Ten Team looks to take home the championship tomorrow when it plays tournament host Northern Iowa at noon.