When the Northwestern volleyball team charged out of the gates into Big Ten play, a lot of heads turned. The Wildcats opened their season by upsetting Michigan and Michigan State in their first weekend sweep since 1993 — a week later, the Cats were 3-1.

This early-season success came from a team that tallied only three conference wins during the entire 2000 season.

But then the “big three” of the Big Ten — Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin, all ranked in the Top 25 — handed the Cats three losses in a row and they began to display their youth.

While head coach Keylor Chan said the team tried not to use its youth as an excuse because “the girls are sick of hearing it,” there is no denying that NU (10-17, 6-14 Big Ten) looked immature at times this season compared to its stiff competition.

The Cats did not have any seniors, and they were quarterbacked by Drew Robertson, the only true freshman setter in the Big Ten.

This summer, Robertson beat out junior Kelli Meyer for the position, causing not one but two major lineup changes — Robertson took over the reigns at setter and Meyer, who is 6-foot-2 and played hitter throughout high school, moved to the right side.

This switch provided the Cats with greater versatility on the court — Meyer’s experience, leadership and ability to pound the ball worked well with Robertson’s athleticism and competitive nature.

Chan and Meyer were both happy with the adjustment by season’s end. Chan called it “a good move for Kelli and a good move for our program,” referring to Drew as the team’s “little spark plug.”

But the transition was not perfect. Having a freshman at the helm can be risky, especially when a team starts losing, as the Cats did — and continued to do — for about a month.

NU’s slump started with a loss to Iowa on Oct. 19. At the time, the Hawkeyes were winless and in last place in the Big Ten while the Cats were holding steady in the middle of the conference. The Iowa matchup was the first of a monthlong stretch of grueling road trips and frustrating losses for NU.

When NU finally emerged from its slump with a rematch win over Iowa on Nov. 17, it broke a nine-game losing streak, triumphing in the final home match of the season.

The latter half of the Cats’ campaign included some of the toughest teams on the slate, and although they didn’t manage to pull off any upsets, they played some of their best volleyball down the stretch.

“The highlights of our season weren’t necessarily in victories,” Chan said. “Playing (No. 6) Wisconsin tough at their place was a highlight. So was finishing with a win at Purdue.”

NU is hoping that the momentum from those final matches will carry over into next season.

“We played really well the last three weekends of our season,” sophomore middle blocker Erika Lange said. “That says a lot about our team, getting back on track to finish well. It will carry us into next year.”

Providing a spark for NU toward the end of the season were Lange and Robertson, arguably the Cats’ best players and the only two to receive postseason conference honors. Robertson, who led the team in assists and digs, was selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman team. Lange, who led the league in blocks, was named honorable mention All-Big Ten.

Lange and junior middle blocker Sarah Ballog anchored the NU block, which was the best in the conference. The tandem helped to make up for the Cats’ shortcomings in other areas — they placed last in the league in kills, assists and digs.

The future certainly looks promising for NU. The squad will have no shortage of experience (there will be five seniors) and some exciting prospects have emerged, particularly Robertson and redshirt freshman outside hitter Jill Buschur.

Additionally, All-American outside hitter Christie Gardner has signed a national letter of intent to attend NU next year. Gardner, who is from West Bend, Wis., is the youngest of four sisters, all of whom play or played volleyball at Big Ten schools. Chan said the team also will have a walk-on who he expects to make an impact next season.

“We’re really excited, we got the two kids we really wanted,” said Chan, who could not officially name the walk-on player. “They should both come in, push the kids that are in our program and compete for starting spots.”