Northwestern Blasts Ohio State, 3-1
Nov. 10, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern bested Ohio State Saturday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, 30-27, 28-30, 30-20, 30-25 to sweep the season series against the Buckeyes for the first time since 2003. The win improves the Wildcats' overall record to 16-11, 7-9 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes fall to 12-13 on the year, 6-10 in the conference with their loss. Northwestern won the first meeting between the two schools, 3-2, on Sept. 21 in Columbus. OSU was ranked No. 23 in the nation at the time. Playing without starting libero Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) for the second-straight night after the sophomore suffered an injury before Friday night's match against Penn State, several Wildcats stepped up with season- or career-best performances. Most notably, sophomore Emma Pollert (Seymour, Ind./Seymour) donned the libero jersey in Nobilio's absence and made a career-best 27 digs for the 'Cats. The total is the fifth-best by a single Wildcat this season, with Nobilio holding the other four performances. Senior Courtnie Paulus (Belgium, Wis./Ozaukee), who wore the libero jersey for two games Friday night, stepped back into her outside hitter role and threw down a team-best 22 kills with 14 digs of her own for a double-double. She also matched her career high with four service aces. Setter Elyse Glab had a huge night, recording 63 assists in the match (15.75 per game), one shy of her career-best total. As a team, NU compiled 71 kills and a .273 hitting percentage (71-26-165), compared to a .193 percentage (57-25-166) for OSU. The Wildcats also won the assists (68-53), digs (72-53) and blocks (15.5-8.0) battles against the Buckeyes.
Game one was a tight, back-and-forth affair until a quick 3-0 spurt comprised of a Brittney Aldridge (Hampshire, Ill./Hampshire) kill, a block by Aldridge and Paulus, and a Paulus termination gave NU a 20-17 lead to force an OSU timeout.
The Buckeyes closed the gap to one, 28-27, but a solo block by Aldridge and a kill from Chelsy Hyser (Belvidere, Ill./Belvidere) ended the game with NU on top, 30-27. Ohio State jumped out in front early in game two, scoring six of the first seven points. Northwestern came back to tie, 9-9, with a 7-2 run, capped by a ridiculous kill from Pollert. An attack from Ohio State bounced high in the air all the way to the stands, but NU was able to keep it in play. From the very edge of the purple sport court, Pollert volleyed the ball back over the net, where six stunned Buckeyes watched it fall for an NU point, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. That run would be the highlight of the game for the 'Cats, though, with the Buckeyes earning game point at 29-25. A Paulus kill, a block from Aldridge and Naomi Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy), and a Paulus ace got the 'Cats back within one, 29-28, but OSU knotted the match with the next point. Northwestern pulled out to a big seven-point advantage, 15-8, in game three before a 4-0 Ohio State run whittled the lead down to three, 15-12. Later in the game, NU caught fire with a 10-4 run, winning the game, 30-20, on a Pollert service ace and a block by Hyser and Lindsay Anderson (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier). Game four was much the same, with Northwestern using a 7-2 run midway through to earn a 17-12 lead. Ohio State came roaring back to tie at 21, but a pair of kills from Anderson helped a 3-0 NU spurt to give the home team a 24-21 lead. The Wildcats maintained that advantage until a Paulus kill won the game, 30-25, and the match, 3-1. Anderson contributed 14 kills and 10 digs to join Paulus with a double-double. Johnson had a season-best 10 kills, while Ariel Baxterbeck (Menlo Park, Calif./Castilleja) had 10 digs for the 'Cats. Aldridge led NU with eight blocks. Northwestern returns to action at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16, at Iowa. |
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