Big Ten Network : Volleyball Top Stories

No. 5 Illinois drops MSU for 11 straight win

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 21:46:00 +0000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Fifth-ranked Illinois entered Saturday night's tilt winners of 10 straight Big Ten matches, the school's longest conference streak in 17 years. The last team to defeat the Illini, Michigan State, came calling to Huff Hall. The Illini avenged that loss and in the process extended their winning streak to 11 with a convincing 25-19, 25-12, 25-19 victory over the Spartans in front of a crowd of 1,758. Michigan State was competitive for the first half of the first set, but the Illini block came alive and eventually Michigan State hitters began a string of errors. Up 18-17 in the first set, the Illini went on a 7-2 run to close the set then bolted to a 10-1 in the second set. Illinois took set two easily then broke open a 14-14 score in the third set with an 11-5 run to take the match. Junior Laura DeBruler led the way offensively, hitting a robust .538 with 15 kills. Junior Johannah Bangert had another strong night on the block with eight block assists, four kills and a .400 hitting percentage. Illinois hit .291 for the match, including .478 in a dominant second set. Illinois out-blocked the Spartans 10-2, giving the Illini a 27-8 advantage in that department for the weekend. Even when Illinois wasn't blocking the Michigan State attack, the Spartans misfired, hitting -.038 for the match, including -.231 in the second set. "I think our block set the tone, then we started digging a lot of balls and finally we frustrated them and they started hitting them out of bounds," summed up head coach Kevin Hambly. Besides the winning streak in general, the story of the weekend was the first starts for sophomore Rachel Feldman at libero. Feldman past the test with a team-leading nine digs. For the weekend, she had 28 digs, and was served at 54 times with just one reception error. "I've had experience digging balls on the other side of the net from Kylie McCulley and Laura DeBruler, so that part wasn't different," Feldman said in comparing practice to the game experience. "The difference was playing with a new group of players." If the Illini are to make it 12 straight, they must end Penn State's 91-match streak next Friday in State College, Pa. Illinois returns to Huff for its final regular season home matches against Iowa and Wisconsin on Nov. 20-21.

Ohio State sends Wisconsin to third straight loss

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 22:26:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin volleyball team (11-12, 6-8) dropped its third consecutive match on Saturday, losing to Ohio State 25-21, 25-21, 25-19 in the UW Field House. The loss marks Wisconsin's longest losing streak of the season in both matches (three) and sets (nine). "I'm disappointed in the way we performed tonight," said head coach Pete Waite. "That was a team we knew had a hot streak coming in and we had to battle them with everything we had. Our passing wasn't up to par so our offense wasn't able to run quite as well. I thought Ohio State blocked very well. There were just too many errors on our part. It was too much to give a good team like them." A lack of consistent hitting limited the Badgers as they posted a .123 hitting percentage, while Ohio State connected on .347 percent of its shots. Wisconsin's offense also could not overcome the Buckeyes' 16 team blocks. The Badgers, in comparison, only totaled four team blocks. Wisconsin did surpass Ohio State in several statistical categories. The Badgers out-performed the Buckeyes in kills (41-39), assists (41-35) and digs (46-41). Allison Wack and Brittney Dolgner headlined the UW offense with 14 and 11 kills, respectively. Wack also maintained a solid .273 hitting percentage. Janelle Gabrielsen directed Wisconsin's offense, putting up 29 assists. Two Badgers had double-digit digs as Kim Kuzma saved 14 shots, while Gabrielsen added 10 digs. Ohio State was led by Katie Dull, who put down 11 kills while hitting a .320 percentage. Kelli Barhost followed with nine kills and a match-high .471 hitting percentage. Ashley Hughes dished out a match-high 33 assists. Kristen Dozier highlighted the Ohio State defense with 11 total blocks, while Chelsea Noble led the Buckeyes with 17 digs. Waite said that Ohio State has improved a lot since losing to Wisconsin on Oct. 2 in Columbus, Ohio. "They've really evolved as a team and we've seen that coming," Waite said. "We've seen them beat some really good teams along the way since we beat them. That happens sometimes—you beat someone and they change things." Both teams continuously exchanged points in the first set where there were 10 ties. With the score knotted up at 15, Ohio State put down two straight kills to take a 17-15 advantage. Poor hitting prevented the Badgers from retrieving the deficit as the Buckeyes took the set 25-21. UW hit just .053 percent for the set. After nine ties, the Buckeyes grabbed a 16-13 lead in the second set. The UW responded by scoring three consecutive points to equal the score at 16 apiece. Ohio State would then regroup following a timeout to take a 19-16 lead, which it would not lose en route to a 25-21 set victory. Wisconsin bettered its hitting with a .265 percentage, but was overshadowed by Ohio State 's impressive hitting percentage of .452. Wisconsin came out strong in the third set and seized an early 6-4 lead over Ohio State. A kill from Caity DuPont evened the set at 11, but the Badgers then lost control of the set as the Buckeyes scored three straight points to take a 14-11 lead. Although the Badgers narrowed the margin to one at 18-17, Ohio State's .414 hitting percentage helped them earn a 25-19 match victory. "We come out next week and we've got another opportunity on Monday to train and watch tape and get better," Waite said. "That's been our goal and we've hit a plateau as far as the energy level on the court. Last week at Michigan we did really well and our energy level was great, then a little notch down against Michigan State. In the Big Ten, if you have any sort of a flat day, you're going to pay for it." Wisconsin has a tough week ahead as it travels to Iowa City on Wednesday to take on Iowa before it returns home to face Minnesota on Nov. 15. The Badgers look to split the season series after losing to Iowa, 3-1, in its Big Ten opener on Sept. 23. UW also lost at Minnesota, 3-0, on Sept. 25.

Michigan rides double-doubles to win over NU

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 22:03:00 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill. -- The No. 15-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team had three players post double-doubles on Saturday night (Nov. 7) in a 3-1 (21-25, 25-17, 25-12, 25-17) win at Northwestern inside Welsh-Ryan Arena. Sophomore Alex Hunt (Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) notched 15 kills, senior Juliana Paz (Porto Alegre, Brazil/Iowa Western CC) tallied 13 kills and junior setter Lexi Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) racked up 43 assists as each earned 11 digs. Senior Veronica Rood (Temperance, Mich./Bedford) added 10 kills to join Hunt and Paz in double figures. The Wolverines held off a comeback bid by the Wildcats midway through the fourth set, using seven straight points to build a 22-13 lead in a 25-17 victory, claiming the match. Paz had the hot hand in the deciding stanza, posting five kills while adding three service aces. In set one, the Wolverines found themselves out-blocked 8-0 and held to a -.023 attack percentage in a 24-21 loss. Hunt tallied four kills to lead all Wolverines but hit at a negative clip in the frame. Down early in set two, the Wolverine offense started to awaken, using kills from Rood, senior Megan Bower (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) and sophomore/junior Karlee Bruck (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria) to build a 10-7 lead. Bower continued her hot play, winning a joust at the net and contributing another kill off the slide, building a 15-10 lead and forcing Northwestern into its first timeout of the set. A 6-3 U-M run from there pushed the lead to 21-13 as the Wolverines cruised to a 25-17 win. Hunt posted six terminations in the frame, while Bower and Paz each added three apiece as the Wolverines hit a much-improved .419 as a team. The Wolverines brought momentum with them out of the locker room to begin set three, racing out to an 11-2 lead, punctuated by a Paz service ace that forced another Northwestern timeout. The stoppage failed to slow down the U-M offensive explosion, which produced nine of the next 12 points, expanding the lead to 20-6 en route to a 25-12 win and 2-1 set lead. Michigan returns to action next Friday (Nov. 14) when it returns to Cliff Keen Arena to face Purdue. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. with MGoBlue.com carrying live game audio and live stats.

Top-ranked Penn State sweeps Iowa

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 21:54:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa - In front of a record volleyball crowd of 2,802 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the No. 1 Penn State women's volleyball team defeated Iowa, 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-13). The Nittany Lions are now in sole possession of third place in the NCAA record books for consecutive wins with 90. Senior Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) led the Nittany Lions with 12 kills and junior Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) was the only other Penn Stater with double-digit kils with 11. Junior Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) finished third on the team with nine kills, but had a team-best .533 attack percentage. She also led the squad with five total blocks. Junior Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) registered 15 digs in the match and senior setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) paced the Penn State offense with 35 assists. The Nittany Lions led the way in all statistical categories finishing the night with 42 kills, 40 assists, six aces, 48 digs and 10.0 total team blocks. Penn State posted a .319 hitting percentage against the Hawkeyes. Iowa totaled 35 kills, 29 assists, 32 digs and just 4.0 total team blocks. Hodge opened the match for Penn State with a kill and a PSU block gave the Nittany Lions an early 2-0 lead. The Hawkeyes answered back with two kills to tie the set, but Hodge tallied another to put the Nittany Lions back in the lead. After Iowa tied Penn State a second time at 3-3, Brown gave PSU the lead for good with a back row kill. The Hawkeyes remained close until a kill from junior Fatima Balza (Merida, Venezuela) and a PSU block followed by an ace put Penn State ahead, 8-4. Despite a Penn State error, a Dorton kill kept the Nittany Lions up by four, 9-5. By midpoint of the set Penn State led by seven, 15-8. The Hawkeyes came within five, 17-12, thanks to a kill by Mallory Husz. However, the Nittany Lions were soon within four points of a first set win after back-to-back kills from Wilson. A Hodge kill and an Iowa error put Penn State two points closer to a win, 23-13. Two kills by Iowa's Becky Walters and one each from Megan Schipper and Tiffany Nilges had the Hawkeyes within six, but Penn State closed out the set with a kill and a block for a 25-17 victory. The Hawkeyes took a 4-1 lead in the second set, but soon after Penn State was within one, 5-4, thanks to a Balza kill. The Nittany Lions did not take the lead until a D'Errico ace gave them a slim 7-6 edge. Penn State increased its lead to three, 11-8, after two Wilson kills and one from Brown. Iowa setter Mara Hilgenberg answered with a kill to bring the Hawkeyes within two, 11-9, but an Iowa error and a PSU ace put the Nittany Lions up by four, 13-9. The Hawkeyes soon found themselves within one, 13-12, courtesy of two PSU errors and another Walters kill. Brown kept Iowa at bay with a kill and Schipper registered an attack error to give the Nittany Lions some room to breathe. The breathing room was short-lived as Iowa tied the set, 16-16, after a Husz kill and a Penn State attack error. The score tied twice more, but Penn State was soon ahead by two, 20-18, with a Hodge kill straight down the line. After a Hawkeye timeout, a PSU kill and an error by Nilges gave Penn State a four-point lead, 23-19. Iowa came within two, 24-22, thanks to a kill by Aimee Huffman. Brown secured the set for Penn State with a kill, 25-22. Wilson opened the third set with a kill before an Iowa error had Penn State leading 2-0 early. A Penn State error put the Hawkeyes on the board, but the Nittany Lions notched two points on a kill and a block for a 4-1 advantage. Penn State increased its lead to five, 7-2, on a monster kill by Hodge, but two Schipper kills and a Nittany Lions error had the Hawkeyes within two, 8-6. A block by Husz and Hilgenberg brought the Hawkeyes within one, 8-7, but Brown put one away to put Penn State back ahead by two, 9-7. Penn State went on to tally seven straight points for a 16-7 advantage and Iowa took a timeout. After the timeout, Emma Kittle and Husz teamed up for a block to make it 16-8. Brown answered with a kill to keep Penn State ahead by nine, 17-8. Penn State's lead grew to double-digits, 18-8, on a triple block, but two PSU errors had Iowa within seven, 18-11. Errors began to plague the Hawkeyes as the set began to come to a close giving Penn State a 23-12 lead. One kill each by Wilson and Hodge gave Penn State a 25-13 third set triumph. The Nittany Lions are back in action Friday, Nov. 13 versus nationally-ranked Illinois. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. Penn State welcomes Northwestern to Rec Hall on Saturday, Nov. 14 for a 7 p.m. matchup. Live stats and live audio will be available for both matches via a link at GoPSUsports.com. For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2009 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets At Hershey.

Illini defeat Michigan

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 23:41:00 +0000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.— Illinois-Michigan has always meant a battle in volleyball. Throw in an Illini victory earlier this year in Ann Arbor, a No. 5 ranking for Illinois, a No. 15 ranking for Michigan and a brand new libero and the match had a lot of storylines. In the end, Illinois picked up offensive steam as the match went on for its 10th straight win – 25-27, 25-22, 25-21, 25-17 – to improve to 19-3 and maintain a two-game lead for second place in the Big Ten at 11-2 in the conference. ""That is what we get every time we play Michigan – a battle,"" said Illinois head coach Kevin Hambly. ""With what we went through the last week, to figure out what we're going to do in basically two days, I thought this was a real gut check match for us."" Sophomore Rachel Feldman made her first collegiate start at libero after four-year starter Ashley Edinger suffered an ACL tear just six days earlier. The Normal Community graduate came into the match with eight career digs. Friday against Michigan, she tallied 19 digs, was served at 41 times and not aced once. ""They attacked her every way they possibly could – hitting at her and serving at her and I thought she did a great job,"" Hambly said. ""She jumped into that role with both feet and was aggressive. That's going to be key for us the rest of the way."" Junior Laura DeBruler had just two kills in the first set, but finished the night with her 33rd 20-kill match of her career (21 kills total), including nine in the third set, while hitting .283. With her first kill in the second set, the All-American became just the sixth Illinois player with 1,500 kills. Michigan led 23-18 in the first set, but Illinois responded with six straight points, the final an ace from Hillary Haen (44 assists, 14 digs) to go in front 24-23, and although Michigan came back to take the set, the Illini rally set the tone for the next three sets. Michigan's lefty hitter Alex Hunt had 13 kills in the first two sets en route to a team-high 19 kills. The Illini, however, had six blocks in each of the first two sets, 10 involving junior Johannah Bangert, as the Illini front and back row defense began to slow down the Michigan attack. The Illini out-blocked the Wolverines 17-6 overall on the night paced by 12 from Bangert, the fifth career match with 12 or more. Michigan hit just .130, including .042 in set two and .056 in set four. The Illini, meanwhile improved to .271 in set three and .256 in set four good for .203 for the night. ""Our best offense was keeping the ball in play and blocking,"" Hambly said. ""It was the reason we got back into it in the first set and the reason we won the second set."" Illinois jumped in front 16-10 in the second set, withstood a rally that brought the Wolverines to within 18-16 and pulled out a 25-22 victory. Illinois had just eight kills in that second set, half of which came from DeBruler, but Feldman and Bartsch combined for 11 digs and the Illini tallied six blocks in the set, forcing Michigan to 12 hitting errors. ""Rachel needed to be on the court when we won a set,"" Hambly said. ""We pulled that out and she was way more comfortable. Everything was different after that."" ""A lot of people on our team can do more than what they're known for,"" Feldman said. ""Out hitters can set and pass. So I had a lot of confidence that whatever happened, there was going to be a great play out of it."" Case in point was Bartsch, who matched Feldman with 19 digs to go along with her nine kills and nine blocks. In all, five players reached double digits in digs as Illinois kept rallies going. In set four, freshman Jackie Wolfe entered to serve with Illinois leading just 16-14. The Illini scored three straight points off the Wolfe serve, two on block assists from Bartsch and Erin Johnson. From there, DeBruler was the terminator – hitting roll shot over the block, exploding with power down the line, or finding a seam in the back row. The Illini were also able to get the ball to the middle. Bangert had seven kills while hitting .429 and Johnson tallied five kills and five blocks while hitting .364 The third and fourth sets were back-and-forth affairs. In set three, the Illini broke open an 18-18 score by out-scoring the Wolverines 7-3 down the stretch with Bartsch and DeBruler combining for five kills. The Illini trailed 13-11 in the fourth set, but scored four straight to go in front 15-13 and never trailed from there.

Buckeyes stop Iowa in four sets

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 22:23:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, IA – The University of Iowa volleyball team dropped a four-set match to the Ohio State Buckeyes tonight at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Junior Aimee Huffman led Iowa with a team-high 12 kills, junior Mara Hilgenberg dished a match-high 36 assists and senior Christina Meister picked up 14 digs. Sophomore Tiffany Nilges recorded a career-best seven kills in the effort. ""We started out tonight defending very well,"" said Head Coach Sharon Dingman, ""but we didn't have the effort we needed near the end. It comes down and to effort and execution and we have to sustain both throughout the entire match. We weren't able to do that tonight."" Iowa (3-10, 11-14) controlled the net in the opening set. Six different Hawkeyes picked up a block in the frame and Iowa attacked at a .310 clip to win the set, 25-20, and take a 1-0 match advantage. Leading 15-14, Iowa closed the set with a 10-6 run behind three team blocks and a pair of kills from Nilges. Junior Aimee Huffman and Nilges led the Hawkeyes with three kills apiece in the winning effort. Hilgenberg handed out 10 assists and Meister recorded a set-high four digs. Ohio State evened the match with a 25-19 win in set two. Nilges picked up another three kills to match junior Becky Walters offensive efforts. Hilgenberg led Iowa with eight assists and Huffman recorded four digs. Iowa took a 7-6 lead in the frame following a kill from sophomore Mallory Husz, but Ohio State rallied with a 5-1 run to take an 11-8 advantage. Later in the frame, senior Megan Schipper attacked with a kill to tie the set, 15-15, but the Buckeyes answered Iowa's rally with a 6-1 run to take a five-point edge, 21-16. Nilges and Walters followed the Buckeye run with a pair of kills, but OSU's Betsy Hone finished the set with a kill to tie the match, 1-1. Ohio State (7-6, 19-7) rode its second set momentum into the third frame, building a 15-10 lead before Iowa stormed back with a 7-3 run. Schipper picked up a service ace and a kill as Iowa battled back to within one point, 18-17. The Buckeyes then answered with the next two points before Schipper and Huffman recorded a kill apiece to pull Iowa within striking distance, 21-19. Iowa was able to force one more OSU attack error, but the Buckeyes scored four of the final five points to record the 25-20 set three victory. Ohio State finished the match with a 25-17 win in the fourth frame. Buckeye junior Katie Dull attacked with seven of her match-high 18 kills in the fourth and decisive set. Iowa freshman Emma Krieger Kittle came off the bench for Iowa and led the Hawkeyes with four kills in the final frame. Hilgenberg dished 13 assists and Meister picked up seven digs. Ohio State never trailed in the fourth set, jumping out to leads of 3-0 and 10-5 in the early going. Iowa battled back within four points, 14-10, behind two kills from Krieger Kittle before the Buckeyes pulled away with a 6-2 run to take command of the set and eventually capture the 3-1 match victory.

No. 12 Minnesota downs Hoosiers

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 20:59:00 +0000

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.- The Indiana University volleyball team (14-14, 3-11) dropped a match in Minneapolis Friday night, defeated by the No. 12 Minnesota Golden Gophers (18-7, 9-4), 25-15, 25-13, 25-15. Kelsey Hall was Indiana's top performer with eight kills, a .304 hitting percentage and seven digs. Caitlin Cox paced IU with 10 digs. Hall brought her 'A' game in the opening set, finishing off five of 10 errorless swings for a smooth .500 hitting efficiency. She also dug two balls and successfully passed a pair of Minnesota serves. The Hoosiers other California native, Whitney Granado, was also locked-in early on. Granado tallied four digs, all of which were spectacular defensive efforts by the Riverside, Calif., product. The rest of the Hoosiers struggled, however, as the Golden Gophers recorded a 25-15 set winner. Samantha Thrower was inserted into the line-up at middle blocker for set number two, and she instantly produced with kills on her first two swings. An ace by Laura Matula completed an 8-2 run for IU, putting the Cream and Crimson ahead 8-4. Indiana's edge remained at two points moments later, leading 12-10 before the wheels came off. Minnesota grabbed 15 of the next 16 points for a 25-13 triumph. Freshman Shawn Hindman entered the match in the final frame, ripping three aggressive attacks. Her third attempt found pay dirt as she hit .333 in the set. The final score leaned in favor of Minnesota though, 25-15. The Hoosiers are on the road next weekend, heading to the state of Michigan for matches against the Spartans and Wolverines.

Northwestern rallies past Spartans

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 22:21:00 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Junior Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) recorded her second career double-double, knocking down 17 kills and tying a career-best with 10 blocks, and junior Naomi Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) added 17 kills as well as Northwestern rallied past Michigan State 20-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-22 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats notch their third-straight Big Ten Conference victory, improving to 14-11 on the year and 5-8 in Big Ten play. Moffett's nine block assists on the evening propelled her into ninth-place all-time in program history with 251 career block assists. She also had just five attack errors on 36 attempts for a .333 hitting percentage. Johnson did one better, finishing with no errors on 25 attempts for a career-best .680 hitting percentage, while also tying her personal-high with seven blocks on the night. Northwestern's defensive play at the net proved to be the deciding factor, as the Wildcats held an 18-5 block advantage over the Spartans. In addition to the big nights from the Moffett-Johnson middle blocking tandem, redshirt freshman Kathryn Chrystal (Crystal Lake, Ill./Central) finished with six blocks, with junior Elyse Glab (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) adding five and junior Brittani Gray (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) rejected four Michigan State attacks. Gray also finished with seven kills on the night, followed by six from senior Ariel Baxterbeck (Menlo Park, Calif./Chapparal). Glab dished out 46 assists on the night to go along with her three kills and senior Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) had 20 digs and a kill of her own for the 'Cats. Coming off a pair of thrilling five-set road victories over Purdue and Indiana last weekend, Northwestern held the early lead over Michigan State (16-9, 4-9 Big Ten) in the opening set, only to see the Spartans use a 6-1 run to break out to a 13-8 lead. The Wildcats were able to cut the gap to one at 18-17, but couldn't get any closer as Michigan State took set one 25-20. The Spartans appeared to be in control of the match early in the second set as well, building a five-point cushion over the 'Cats at 15-10. But Northwestern found that confidence it had gained the previous weekend and slowly chipped away at the Michigan State advantage, tying the match at 22. The Spartans looked poised to reclaim the lead, but Nobilio, who was just trying to keep the set alive, heaved a desperation shot over the net which floated just past the Michigan State attack, giving Northwestern the lead at 23-22. A block from Glab and a kill from Moffett closed out the set and turned momentum back in Northwestern's favor. The Wildcats carried that momentum into the third set, notching the first point of the set and never looking back. Northwestern would lead by as many as eight at 16-9 before Michigan State staged a 5-0 rally to pull to within a pair at 16-14. But the 'Cats outscored the Spartans 9-4 down the stretch for the 25-18 third set victory. With only 25 points separating itself from victory, Northwestern came out energized in set four, tallying the set's first four points. Michigan State would rally again, tying the set at 10, only to see NU respond with an 8-3 run of its own. The Spartans would stage one final rally, pulling to within two a handful of times, but kills from Gray and Moffett would ensure the Wildcat victory. The three match Big Ten winning streak is the first for Northwestern since the 2007 season as the Wildcats earn a season split with the Spartans for the fourth consecutive year. NU also extends its lead in the overall series with Michigan State, holding a 32-26 advantage. Megan Schatzle led the Spartans with 15 kills, while Kyndra Abron and Mischelle Nelson each added 11 for Michigan State. Natalie Emro had a match-high 47 assists while Allyson Karaba tied Nobilio with 20 digs on the night.

Nittany Lions sweep the Badgers, 3-0

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 21:17:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. - The No. 1 Penn State women's volleyball team (25-0, 13-0) swept Wisconsin 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-21) Friday night to extend its winning streak to 89 straight matches. The Nittany Lions are now tied with the Stanford women's tennis team for third place on the NCAA's Division consecutive wins list. Senior Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) led Penn State with 13 kills, while freshman Darcy Dorton (Muncie, Ind.) and junior Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) tallied eight kills apiece. Junior Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) registered a match-high 12 digs and senior setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) dished out 31 assists. Junior Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) had a team-high eight blocks and recorded both of Penn State's aces. Penn State attacked at a .287 attack percentage and held the Badgers (11-11, 6-7) to .000. The Nittany Lions finished the night with 40 kills, 39 assists, two aces, 41 digs and 12.0 total team blocks. Wisconsin posted just 28 kills, 26 assists, 25 digs and 6.0 team blocks. Penn State wasted no time in the first set taking a 5-0 lead. The Nittany Lions were a wall at the net with Wilson teaming up with first Dorton and then Glass to put PSU up 2-0. Kills from Wilson and Dorton and an attack error by Wisconsin brought the score to 5-0 and Wisconsin called a timeout. Brittney Dolgner finally put the Badgers on the board with a kill, but the Nittany Lions maintained a strong lead, 8-3, thanks to a Wisconsin error and another Wilson kill. Wisconsin worked to within four on two occasions, but a Dorton kill and a Wilson/Glass block had Penn State leading by six, 13-7. By midpoint of the frame, Penn State had a seven-point advantage, 16-9. Two straight kills by Hodge increased Penn State's lead to 18-10. The Nittany Lions led 20-13 when Wisconsin took a second timeout. Wisconsin would manage only two more points before PSU closed out the set, 25-15. The Nittany Lions took a 3-1 lead in the first set, but a kill from Elle Ohlander and a Wisconsin ace had the score tied, 3-3. Hodge gave Penn State the lead, 4-3, and Wisconsin would only manage one more point while the Nittany Lions surged ahead to an 11-4 lead. Dolgner finally scored a point for the Badgers, but errors began to plague Wisconsin and Penn State found itself leading 16-7. After a Wisconsin timeout, the Badgers recorded two straight points. However, a Wilson kill, a Wisconsin error and PSU block put the Nittany Lions ahead by double-digits, 19-9. Wisconsin's Caity DuPont cut off the Penn State run with a kill, but Hodge fired back to keep Penn State ahead by 10, 20-10. Two Wisconsin errors and a Brown kill had the Nittany Lions within two points of taking set two, 23-11. A Penn State error gave Wisconsin its final point of the second set. A Hodge kill and another Badger error secured the second set for PSU, 25-13. Penn State led 4-0 early in the third set, but kills by Janelle Gabrielsen and Alexis Mitchell, a PSU error and a Wisconsin ace had the score tied, 4-4. Junior Fatima Balza (Merida, Venezuela) put Penn State back in the lead, but Wisconsin did not let up and had tied the Nittany Lions again at 7-7. Dorton notched a kill for an 8-7 lead, but Mitchell and Allison Wack blocked a Wilson attack to make it 8-8. The score tied twice more before a Badger error gave Penn State the lead for good. Kills from Brown and Hodge and a Wilson ace gave Penn State some much-needed breathing room, 15-11, and Wisconsin took a timeout. After the break, Wisconsin came within two, 16-14, after a PSU error and a Mitchell kill, but Penn State was back ahead by four, 19-15 thanks to kills by Hodge and Brown and Balza block. Two Wisconsin errors, kills form Dorton and Hodge and Penn State block gave Penn State a 25-21 third set win. The Nittany Lions are back in action Saturday at Iowa. The Nittany Lions meet the Hawkeyes at 7 p.m. Live stats will be available via a link at GoPSUsports.com. For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2009 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets At Hershey.

Purdue tops Indiana, 3-1, retains trophy

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 21:26:00 +0000

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Boilermaker volleyball team exacted revenge on the Indiana Hoosiers on Wednesday night, downing IU 3-1 to keep the Monon Spike travelling trophy in West Lafayette for another year. Purdue won the match 20-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-19 to even the season series and win the Spike match for the 24th time in 36 tries. The Boilermakers have now topped the Hoosiers in 12 of the last 14 meetings. Freshman Ariel Turner paced the Purdue offense with 12 kills, while fellow rookie Anna Drewry added 10. Senior Carrie Gurnell chipped in nine kills, while juniors Kristen Arthurs and Jaclyn Hart tallied eight and seven respectively. The Boilermakers outhit the Hoosiers .289 to .173. Defensively, Purdue outblocked Indiana 17.5 to six and outdug the Hoosiers 55 to 46. At the net, Arthurs and Drewry registered eight blocks apiece and Hart added six. In the backcourt, sophomore Emily Ehlers racked up 24 digs, while freshman Carly Cramer added 10. The Hoosiers led early in the first set, but Purdue tied it up at 5-5 on a block by Arthurs and Hart. Indiana built a four-point advantage at 13-9 after a run including two aces. Purdue fought back to make it 14-14 after a Turner kill and an IU hitting error. The teams would tie again at 18 on a Gurnell putaway, but Indiana scored seven of the last 10 to clinch the 25-20 win. The Hoosiers were credited with six aces in the stanza. The Boilermakers bounced back in the second set, racking up seven and a half blocks and hitting .367 en route to a 25-23 win. Purdue went up 4-2 after kills by Drewry and Turner and a solo block by Hart. The Hoosiers tied it up at six, but the Boilermakers pushed ahead to a 12-8 advantage after a stuff by Drewry, Arthurs and Turner. Indiana battled back with a 11-5 run to take a 19-17 lead of its own. Purdue countered with six of the next eight points, including three blocks, to reach their first set point attempt at 24-22. Hart and Fisher combined on two of the rejections, while Fisher tallied a solo stuff on the third. A service error kept the set going, but Gurnell pounded down the final point of the win. Purdue led 3-2 to start the third set as Arthurs, Turner and Drewry posted kills. After a tie at 4-4, The Hoosiers scored six of the next seven, including a 5-0 run, to go up 10-5. The Boilermakers charged back to tie it up at 11-11 after a series which included three Gurnell kills and a block by Drewry and Arthurs. The teams tied at 12 and 13, before Purdue took advantage of an IU ball handling error to gain a 14-13 lead. Indiana led briefly at 16-15 and 18-17, but after that it was nearly all Boilermakers. Purdue snapped a 19-19 tie with three straight points, a kill by Arthurs and two Hoosier hitting miscues. An Indiana kill slowed the effort momentarily, but kills from Drewry and Turner put Purdue on the hill at 24-20. The pair combined for a block to cap the 25-20 win. The Boilermakers scored seven of the first 10 points in Set 4. The Hoosiers came back to tie it at eight and nine, but Purdue never relinquished control. From the tie at nine, Purdue scored seven straight, including kills by Arthurs, Turner and Drewry and an ace by Cramer. The Boilermakers upped their advantage to nine at 21-12 after back to back IU errors. Indiana would not give in, scoring seven of the next nine, narrowing the gap to 23-19. Hart put down a kill and then served up the ace for the 25-19 win. Drewry was 4-for-4 in the stanza, while Hart chipped in three kills. Purdue outhit Indiana .320 to .071 in the final stanza. Purdue (12-12, 4-9 Big Ten) returns to action at 2 p.m. Sunday when it takes on No. 12 Minnesota in Minneapolis. The match will air live on the Big Ten Network and will be rebroadcast at 8 p.m. ET.

Illinois libero Edinger tears left ACL

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 13:58:00 +0000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.— An MRI on Ashley Edinger's left knee has revealed an ACL tear. The Illinois senior libero injured the knee during the third set Saturday night at Purdue. The Michigan City, Ind., native will be out for the remainder of the 2009 season for the fifth-ranked team in the country. A four-year starter, Edinger reset the Illinois defensive record book. In just 2 ½ years, she became Illinois' all-time digs leader and will finish her career with 1,921 digs, which also ranks ninth on the all-time career Big Ten list. Edinger has three of the top four digs seasons, including a school-record 564 in 2007, and six of the top nine digs matches in school history. Edinger has been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week five times in her career, including on Oct. 19 of this year, and received three All-Tournament team accolades. "Losing Ashley for the season is a tremendous blow at this stage, but at really anytime," head coach Kevin Hambly said. "She is certainly one of the top liberos in the Big Ten and the country. Ashley has been the libero from the minute she stepped on campus and has not only rewritten the record books here at Illinois but she has set a standard for excellence that will be tough to match. However, we are fortunate to have the type of team that we feel is resilient to this loss, and we have no choice but to move forward. I know Ashley will be supportive." Rachel Feldman will take over as the Illini libero this weekend as they host No. 15 Michigan and Michigan State at Huff Hall.

Ohio State sweeps No. 7 Minnesota

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:59:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State (18-7 overall, 6-6 Big Ten) women's volleyball team, with four players scoring double-figure points, upset seventh-ranked Minnesota (17-7, 8-4), 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-15) Saturday night in St. John Arena. The Buckeye victory is OSU's first win over a ranked team in 19 tries under head coach Geoff Carlston. Buckeye Katie Dull posted a team-high 12.5 points (10 kill, two ace serves and one assist block) with Kelli Barhorst contributing 11 (nine kills, one ace serve and two assist blocks), Emily Danks 10.5 (nine kills, one ace serve and one assist block) and Anna Szerszen 10 (eight kills, one ace serve and two assist blocks). Lauren Gibbemeyer posted a match-high 13.5 points (12 kills, one solo block and one assist block) for Minnesota with Ariana Filho adding six points (six kills). Ohio State opened the first set by scoring the first 10 points of the match. The run began with an Ashley Hughes kill, a Minnesota error, two kills from Barhorst and a solo block by Hughes for a 5-0 lead. Two kills each from Hughes and Dull and a Gopher error made it 10-0. Two Buckeye errors and one from Minnesota moved the score to 11-2. Three kills from Gibbemeyer, two Buckeye errors, a Tabitha Love solo block and one from Gibbemeyer cut the OSU lead to 11-9. A Barhorst kill and a Danks-Barhorst block made it 13-9, OSU. At 23-19, an ace serve from Amanda Peterson made it 24-19 and set point for Ohio State. A Buckeye error stopped the point at 24-20. Ohio State won the set, 25-20 with a kill from Danks to take a 1-0 lead in the match. The Buckeyes hit .130 for the set to .114 for Minnesota. Tied at two in set two, kills from Barhorst and Danks gave OSU a 4-2 lead. A kill from Gibbemeyer cut the lead to one at 4-3. A Minnesota error and back-to-back kills from Danks gave the Buckeyes a 7-3 lead. At 17-13, a Dozier-Anna Szerszen block, a Szerszen kill and two Minnesota errors gave OSU a 21-13 lead. A Minnesota kill from Katherine Harms and an OSU error made it 21-15. A Kristen Dozier kill and an ace serve from Danks put the lead at eight, 23-15. A Hailey Cowles kill and a Buckeye error reduced the lead to six at 23-17. The Buckeyes, with a Szerszen kill, reached set point at 24-17. Minnesota kills from Megan Wilson and Gibbemeyer stopped two set points to make the score, 24-19. The Buckeyes, off a Minnesota error, won the set, 25-19, to take a 2-0 lead in the match. Ohio State hit .516 for the set to .314 for the Golden Gophers. Set three saw a four-four tie broken with a five-point Buckeye run to open a 9-4 lead. Kills from Szerszen and Danks and an ace serve from Barhorst made it 7-4 as Minnesota called time out. OSU made it 9-4 with back-to-back kills from Danks. The Gophers responded with kills from Filho and Tabitha Love to make it 9-6. Szerszen, with two kills, made it 11-6. Two OSU errors, one from Minnesota and a Szerszen kill moved the score to 13-8. A Minnesota error, a solo block from Hughes and a Dull-Barhorst block gave Ohio State a 16-8 lead. Two kills from Gibbemeyer and two Minnesota errors moved the score to 18-10, OSU. Two ace serves from Dull and a Minnesota error opened a 21-10 Buckeye lead. A Gibbemeyer-Taylor Carico block and a kill from Barhorst made it 22-11. A Minnesota error and a Filho kill moved the score to 23-12. A Buckeye error made it 23-13. Ohio State reached match point with a kill from Danks at 24-13. Two OSU errors stopped match points to cut the lead to 24-15. The Buckeyes, with a Dozier-Szerszen block, won the set, 25-15 to win the match, 3-0. Ohio State hit .320 for the set to .042 for Minnesota. Ohio State hit .294 for the match to .170 for Minnesota. The Buckeyes had a 45-33 margin in kills and a six-to-two edge in ace serves. OSU's Dull posted a match-high two aces in the match. Minnesota gave up seven service errors to four for OSU. Defensively, Ohio State had a 44-39 advantage in digs. Dull posted a match-high 13 for the Buckeyes for a double-double (kills-digs). At the net, Ohio State had a six to three margin in team blocks. Five players shared match-high honors with two blocks each. OSU's Barhorst, Dozier and Szerszen had two assist blocks each while Hughes' posted two solo blocks. For Minnesota, Gibbemeyer recorded a solo and an assist block in the match. At setter, OSU's Hughes posted a match-high 37 assists while Carico recorded 31 for Minnesota. Ohio State returns to the road next week to play at Iowa, Friday, Nov. 6 and at Wisconsin, Saturday, Nov. 7.

Illinois stays hot, sweeps Boilermakers

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:03:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 6 Illini volleyball team continued its hot streak against Purdue on Halloween night, rattling off its ninth consecutive win behind a balanced attack that hit .347 for the match. Illinois improved to 18-3 overall and 10-2 in the Big Ten thanks to a straight-sets victory (25-21, 25-19, 25-14) over Purdue, who fell to 11-12 overall and 3-9 in the Big Ten. The Orange and Blue's middle blockers, Erin Johnson and Johannah Bangert, combined for 15 kills and hit .533 and .308, respectively, to bolster the impressive Illini attack. "We have been working very hard to get our middles going, and it has been paying off," head coach Kevin Hambly said. "Erin Johnson had a great weekend and Johannah Bangert did a nice job attacking. Our outsides always bring their game, so it is nice to get some more productivity out of the middles. We are continuing to get better as a team, and it's nice to see things progress in that direction." Illinois' outside hitters also continued their stellar play, combining for 29 kills, as Laura DeBruler and Michelle Bartsch posted a match-high 10 kills apiece and Kylie McCulley added nine. All three players also hit over .300, which is the first time that has happened all year. The Illini trailed for the majority of the opening frame until the block brigade turned it on to spark a 9-3 run. Two key blocks turned the tide for the Illini, as the Orange and Blue tied the match at 18 thanks to a block assist from McCulley and Bangert and then grabbed their first lead at 19-18 on a block assist from Bartsch and Bangert. McCulley had five kills in the set to pace the Illini, who hit .385 compared to .222 from Purdue. The second set was a back-and-forth affair until the score was tied at nine and the Illini used a 7-2 run to pull away. Illinois never looked back from there, easily taking the second set behind six kills from Johnson and four from Bartsch. Illinois out-hit the Boilermakers .382 to .156 in the second stanza. The Illini dominated the third frame thanks to great play from DeBruler and Bartsch, but saw their senior libero Ashley Edinger go down with an injury with Illinois leading 21-12. Edinger, who had 12 digs to pace the Illini defense, was helped off the floor and replaced by Rachel Feldman. Illinois took four of the next six points to close out the match. "It's too early to speculate (about Ashley), so we will just wait and see what happens," Hambly said. The win was Illinois' ninth straight in the Big Ten, the longest streak for the Illini in conference since winning 18 straight in 1992. The Orange and Blue remained alone in second place and improved to 6-1 on the road in the conference after the victory in front of 1,821 fans at the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility. Illinois returns to Huff Hall for a pair of matches next weekend, as the Illini face No. 13 Michigan on Friday, Nov. 6 and Michigan State on Saturday, Nov. 7. Both matches are set to begin at 7 p.m. CT.

Northwestern holds off Indiana, 3-2

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:00:00 +0000

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Apparently Northwestern's moniker as the "Cardiac 'Cats" is now extending to the volleyball court, as the Wildcats held off six Indiana match points in a wild fifth set, earning a thrilling 23-25, 25-18, 25-17, 17-25, 24-22 Halloween night victory over the Hoosiers at University Gym. It was Northwestern's second-consecutive five-set road victory as the Wildcats improve to 13-11 on the year and 4-8 in Big Ten play. Junior Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) once again anchored the Wildcats up front, recording match-highs in both kills (23) and blocks (6) with junior Naomi Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) adding 17 kills on a .500 hitting percentage and three blocks. Redshirt freshman Kathryn Chrystal (Crystal Lake, Ill./Central) had nine kills and just one error on 13 attempts for a .615 hitting percentage as the trio paced a potent Northwestern attack which hit .305 on the evening. Junior Elyse Glab (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) dished out a career-best 66 assists on the night with nine digs and a pair of kills, as senior Ariel Baxterbeck (Menlo Park, Calif./Castilleja) and sophomore Alexandra Ayers (Playa del Rey, Calif./Marymount) each added seven kills. Defensively, Chrystal had five blocks to compliment the six from Moffett. Four different Wildcats recorded double-digit dig totals, led by 23 from senior Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg). Baxterbeck added 18 while Ayers chipped in with 13 and freshman Julie Chin (Naperville, Ill./North) had 11. In what will go down as one of the classic matches in the Northwestern - Indiana series, both teams battled back and forth in the decisive fifth set. The Wildcats led 15-14 with a chance to close out the match, but the Hoosiers rallied for a pair of points and had match point of their own at 16-15. It was the first of six different match point opportunities for Indiana that Northwestern was able to fend off, the last of which came at 22-21. But three straight points for the Wildcats gave NU the victory, capped by a block from Chrystal and Johnson for match point. Set one set the tone for what would prove to be a competitive evening as neither Northwestern or Indiana (14-13, 3-9 Big Ten) could take control. After 12 ties and five lead changes, the Hoosiers held off the Wildcats long enough to take a 25-23 decision. The second set, however, would belong to Northwestern, as the Wildcats pounced to an early 13-8 lead and never looked back. Northwestern would push its advantage to nine at 22-13 before cruising to the 25-18 victory, sending the match into the intermission tied at one. NU carried its second-set momentum into the third, as after falling behind 8-5 early, the 'Cats would use an 11-2 run to break the set open at 16-10. Indiana tried to climb back into the set, but Northwestern held off every attempt en route to the 25-17 decision and a 2-1 lead in the match. But just like Purdue a night earlier, Indiana refused to go down without a fight on its home court. The Hoosiers slowly extended its lead to eight at 20-12 and seemed to be in control of the fourth set. Northwestern staged a late rally cutting the deficit to four at 21-17, but Indiana held off NU to take the set 25-17 and force the thrilling decisive set. The victory gives Northwestern the season sweep over Indiana after taking another five-set decision at Welsh-Ryan Arena back on Oct. 11. The Wildcats also notch their first win in Bloomington since the 2006 season. Kelsey Hall led the Hoosiers with 18 kills with Ashley Benson adding 15 and Jordan Haverly notching 13. Taylor Wittmer had a big night for Indiana, recording seven kills and a team-high five blocks in defeat. After four-straight road matches, the Wildcats finally get to return home for a pair of matches this weekend. Northwestern takes on Michigan State Friday, Nov. 6 before a showdown with nationally-ranked Michigan Saturday, Nov. 7. Both matches get underway at 7 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena, with the match against the Wolverines airing nationally on the Big Ten Network.

No. 13 Michigan rallies, tops Iowa in 4

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:07:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- After dropping the opening set, the No. 13-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team regrouped to take the next three to beat Iowa, 3-1 (16-25, 25-12, 25-20, 25-13), on Saturday night at Cliff Keen Arena. Sophomore Alex Hunt (Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) paced the Wolverine attack for the second straight night with 18 kills, while senior Juliana Paz (Porto Alegre, Brazil/Iowa Western CC) added 13 terminations and junior setter Lexi Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) dished out 41 assists and added a team-high 16 digs. In the fourth and final set, the Wolverines turned a one-point deficit into a 14-6 lead thanks to a run of nine straight points, keyed by three service aces from Hunt and three kills by Paz. The Hawkeyes never mounted a comeback in the 25-13 U-M win as the U-M offense committed just one attack error while hitting a match-high .452. Set one saw a 5-5 tie turn into a 15-8 Iowa lead thanks to a 10-3 run by the Hawkeyes. The Wolverines never recovered, committing 12 attack errors while hitting at a -.043 clip in the 25-16 loss. The Wolverines responded quickly in set two, building an 11-8 lead as Paz contributed three kills in a seven-point stretch. Hunt led the offense with six kills, while Zimmerman added 14 assists in the frame as the Wolverines cruised to a 25-12 victory. Coming out of intermission, U-M used its momentum from the second, racing out to a 10-3 lead. Paz led the opening attack with two kills and back-to-back service aces. Up 24-14, Iowa made one final push, reeling off six straight points before a Hunt termination from the left side ended the frame, 25-20. The Wolverines hit the road for their next contest on Friday night (Nov. 6) at Illinois. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST with MGoBlue.com carrying live audio and live game stats.

Abron lifts Michigan State to sweep of Wisconsin

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:03:00 +0000

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Looking to extend its four-match win streak on Halloween, the Michigan State volleyball team (16-8, 4-8) downed the Wisconsin Badgers, 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-20), on Saturday. With the win, the Spartans have posted back-to-back wins over the Badgers on Halloween. Sophomore Kyndra Abron (Livonia, Mich.) led all Spartans with 14 kills and hit .583. In the first set, MSU ran out to the early 7-4 lead over the Badgers. Wisconsin however took the next three of four points, pulling within one, 8-7. The Spartans regained momentum, leading 17-13. The second Badger timeout was called as MSU led 20-16. Michigan State closed out the set, winning 25-19. Abron led the Spartans with five kills in the set. Michigan State once again got out early in the second set, posting a 4-1 advantage. The Spartans maintained the advantage with a four-point lead, 8-4. Wisconsin brought the set within two, 10-8, as it scored four of six points. The first Badger timeout of the set came when MSU was leading 18-13. Following the break in action, Wisconsin took the next four of five points, bringing it to a 19-17. However, Michigan State took the second set, 25-22. Abron once again led the team with four kills in the set. The Spartans got out to an early 3-1 advantage in the third set. Michigan State kept the lead, pushing it to 7-2, forcing Wisconsin to call its first timeout. The Badgers rallied to come within three points of the Spartans, 11-8. However, Michigan State once again pulled ahead, 14-8, causing Wisconsin to use its second timeout. Following the timeout, the Badgers took six of the next eight points, making it a 16-13 match. The Spartans ended the set and match, by winning 25-20. Abron and sophomore Becca Zlabis (Wheaton, Ill.) posted identical third set stat lines with five kills each and posting a .556 clip. Posting 12 kills on the night was Zlabis, who added eight digs to the Spartan victory. Sophomore Natalie Emro (Wildwood, Mo.) led the team with 40 assists, while junior Allyson Karaba (Muskegon, Mich.) anchored the backcourt with 14 digs. Senior Vanessa King (Spring Lake, Mich.) and Abron each tallied four blocks in the win. Junior Megan Schatzle (Monroe, Mich.) tallied two service aces on the night. Tonight's match against Wisconsin can be seen on tape delay, Sunday, Nov. 1, at 4:30 a.m. on the Big Ten Network. The Spartans are back in action next weekend on Friday, Nov. 6, when they travel to Northwestern for a 8 p.m. ET match. The match against the Wildcats will be streamed live on the BigTenNetwork.com.

Northwestern tops Purdue in five sets

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:55:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Junior Sabel Moffett (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) knocked down 16 kills with senior Ariel Baxterbeck (Menlo Park, Calif./Castilleja) and sophomore Alexandra Ayers (Playa del Rey, Calif./Marymount) each knocking down 13 as Northwestern took a dramatic 25-23, 25-22, 17-25, 23-25, 16-14 win over Purdue at Holloway Gymnasium. The victory gives the Wildcats the season sweep over the Boilermakers for the first time since 2004, which also marks the last time Northwestern won in West Lafayette. Northwestern also notches its first Big Ten road victory of the year, improving to 12-11 overall and 3-8 in conference play, while Purdue drops to 11-11 and 3-8 in the Big Ten. The California trio provided the spark for the Wildcats all night, with Moffett adding five blocks against Purdue. Ayers had a career-best 18 digs on the night, second only to senior Kate Nobilio's (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) 19, with Baxterbeck adding 12 digs defensively for the 'Cats. Junior Naomi Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) continued her solid play at the net for Northwestern, blocking a team-best six attempts to go along with her three kills. Redshirt freshman Kathryn Chrystal (Crystal Lake, Ill./Central) added four kills and three blocks, with junior Elyse Glab (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) dishing out 42 assists to compliment her four blocks and three kills. After taking the first two sets, Northwestern found itself trailing Purdue 8-7 at the turn in set five. The teams would trade points before a Boilermaker service error and a kill from Moffett gave NU a 13-11 lead. Purdue would rally, tying the set at 13 and again at 14, but a kill from Baxterbeck and a Boiler attack error sealed the victory for the 'Cats. Northwestern, which defeated Purdue in five sets at Welsh-Ryan Arena back on Oct. 10, came out energized early on. The Wildcats pounced to an early four point lead at 10-6, but Purdue rallied to tie the match on seven different occasions, including 22-22 late. But it was NU that took three of the last four points to take set one 25-23, with a kill from Moffett sealing it. Set two continued right where set one left off, as both teams battled back and forth for points. Northwestern would build a five-point lead at 18-13, only to see Purdue close the gap to one a handful of times. But the Boilers were never able to reclaim the lead as the 'Cats once again used a late run to seal the victory, taking set two 25-22. Purdue would start the comeback in set three, building a six-point cushion on Northwestern at 16-10. The Boilermakers avoided the sweep by holding off the Wildcats for the remainder of the set, taking the third 25-17. That momentum would carry into the early portion of the fourth set, as Purdue looked to be easily in control holding a 20-13 lead. But the Wildcats weren't going down without a fight, using a 9-3 run to pull to within a point at 23-22, and then again at 24-23. Unfortunately the rally came up just short as Purdue took the 25-23 decision to force the decisive fifth set. Carrie Gurnell led the Boilermakers with a match-high 17 kills while Ariel Turner had 13 kills and four blocks and Jaclyn Hart finished with 55 assists and five blocks in defeat.

Michigan falls to Wisconsin in four sets

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:18:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- After dropping the first two sets and battling back to win the third, Michigan watched as Wisconsin spoiled its "Pink Out" for Breast Cancer Awareness by taking set four in a 3-1 (26-24, 25-21, 20-25, 25-20) U-M loss on Friday night (Oct. 30) at Cliff Keen Arena. Sophomore Alex Hunt (Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) tallied a match-best 19 kills in defeat, while junior setter Lexi Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) dished out 46 assists. Seniors Juliana Paz (Porto Alegre, Brazil/Iowa Western CC) and Veronica Rood (Temperance, Mich./Bedford) added 13 and 11 kills, respectively, and three Wolverines reached double-digit digs, led by senior Megan Bower's (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) 14. In the deciding fourth set, the Badgers held a 10-7 lead before Michigan went on a 5-1 run, keyed by back-to-black blocks from Rood, to grab the lead, 12-11. Wisconsin soon pulled away, however, with a 5-1 run of its own to go up 18-14, en route to the 25-20 win. Set one looked to be an easy Wisconsin win as the Badgers took a late 22-16 lead. Michigan made it interesting, however, scoring eight of the next 10 points to tie the set at 24-all. With the score deadlocked, the Badgers scored the final two points on a kill and service ace, handing U-M a 26-24 defeat. Hunt led the Michigan attack with seven kills, while Zimmerman added 15 assists in the frame. In the second set, U-M kept things close to start, holding it to within one at 11-10. The Badgers pulled away soon after, capitalizing on one of U-M's five service errors in the set and a pair of Michigan attack errors to take a 22-16 in the eventual 25-21 win. The U-M offense could not find a consistent rhythm in the frame, attacking at a .091 clip with seven attack errors on 33 attempts. The third set saw the Wolverine offense awaken, going on a 4-0 scoring streak to snap an 11-11 tie and grabbing a 15-11 advantage. The Wolverine defense held off the Badgers from there as Hunt led Michigan with six kills and Paz added five in a 25-20 win. It was a completely different Michigan team out of intermission, hitting .394 -- its highest set percentage of the night -- and committing just three attack errors.

Illini survive scare from Hoosiers

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:00:00 +0000

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.— After cruising to wins in the first two sets, the No. 6 Illini staved off an impressive comeback by host Indiana to post a 25-18, 25-17, 13-25, 26-28, 15-11 victory in Bloomington. The win was Illinois' eighth straight in the Big Ten, the longest streak for the Illini in conference since winning 18 straight in 1992. The Illini improve to 17-3 overall, 9-2 in the conference and coupled with a Minnesota loss at Penn State, gives the Illini sole possession of second-place in the Big Ten. Illinois also improves to 5-1 on the road in the conference. ""I thought we were playing as well as we have all season in those first two sets,"" said Illinois head coach Kevin Hambly. ""We were smooth. We were siding out at a high level. After that, Indiana brought a different level of energy and fight at us and we didn't respond real well. We got real tentative with our passing and defense. Winning a match after doing that, though, is a big deal."" Laura DeBruler had a team-leading 20 kills, including nine in the second set and four in the fifth and deciding set, to go along with 10 digs, to pace Illinois. Kylie McCulley added 16 kills and 10 digs while hitting .364 and freshman Erin Johnson was one off a career-high with nine kills, including several critical ones down the stretch while hitting a team-best .538. Fellow middle Johannah Bangert had five kills and three blocks while hitting .400. Senior libero Ashley Edinger led the way defensively with 16 digs. ""Our middles had some big swings all throughout the night,"" Hambly added. ""It is huge for us to have Erin Johnson have the ability to score in big moments. Hillary has no fear in going to her and we believe she can score."" Indiana (14-11, 3-8 Big Ten) played competitively early in the first and second sets, but once Illinois took control, it was lights out thanks to impressive side-out percentages. Illinois sided-out at 73 percent in the first set, 83 percent in the second set and 81 percent in set five. In the middle two sets, however, passing broke down and the Illini only were able to side out at 43 and 59 percent, respectively, as the Hoosiers won both of those sets. Illinois also hit a combined .500 in winning the first two sets -- .462 in set one and .533 in set two as well as .571 in taking set five. The Illini, however, hit .042 and .195 in dropping sets three and four. Indiana led set one 9-8, but behind the serving of Hillary Haen (50 assists, 15 digs), Illinois scored seven straight points and nine of 10 to take a commanding 17-10 lead. Sophomore right side hitter Michelle Bartsch (12 kills) was particularly strong in the opening set converting on her first four attacks and hitting .714 with five kills. Set two was much of the same. Illinois trailed 10-8 before going on a 7-1 run and scoring 17 of the final 24 points of the set. DeBruler had seven kills while Bartsch hit .444 with four kills. The third set was all Indiana. The Hoosiers hit .464 with 15 kills while serving three aces and siding out at an astounding 84 percent. The Illini, meanwhile, were out of system most of the set and managed just six kills as a team. Indiana kept the momentum going to start the fourth. Behind a balanced attack from All-Big Ten candidate Ashley Benson (13 kills) and big swings from outside hitter Jordan Haverly (19 kills), the Hoosiers jumped to a 13-9 lead. This time Illinois responded, tying the score at 14-14 as Haen was able to get the ball to Bartsch on the right side for terminations. The set was back-and-forth from there. Johnson gave Illinois its first lead since early in the match with a conversion from the middle to make it 20-19 Illini. Teams traded side outs with Johnson and McCulley (twice) giving Illinois one-point leads. After Indiana took the lead at 25-24, Johnson converted on a back slide, but after a pair of Illinois service errors, Haverly put away the set deciding point sending it into a fifth set. Illinois never trailed in the fifth set, jumping to leads of 4-1 and 7-2. Johnson had two big kills in the set. Indiana responded, however, thanks to the swing of Benson, who had three kills in the fifth set, and Indiana closed to within 12-9. DeBruler had two big swings for kills in the final two points to give Illinois the win. ""We executed well enough to side out at a high level and get our middles involved,"" Hambly said of the fifth set.

Penn State tops Minnesota, 3-0

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:37:00 +0000

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Behind a superb effort by senior Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) who recorded a match-high 19 kills, the No. 1 Penn State women's volleyball team secured a 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-17) victory against No. 7 Minnesota for its 88th consecutive match win. The Nittany Lions are now tied for fourth place for Division I NCAA winning streaks with the UCLA men's basketball team coached by John Wooden, which won 88 straight games from 1971-1974. Penn State also extended two other streaks Friday night. The Nittany Lions have now won 68 straight matches in the confines of Rec Hall, as well as 57 straight Big Ten matches. In addition to Hodge, who attacked a .429 clip for the night, freshman Darcy Dorton (Muncie, Ind.) tallied eight kills on .636 hitting. Junior Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) also posted eight kills against the Gophers. Senior setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) dished out 36 assists and guided the Nittany Lion offense to a .341 attack percentage. On defense, junior Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) registered a match-high six total blocks and junior Cathy Quilico (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) led the team in digs with 12. Penn State posted 40 kills, three aces, 37 digs and 9.0 total team blocks. The Gophers were held to a meager .011 hitting percentage, 24 kills, two aces and 7.0 total team blocks.