When senior captain Kelli Meyer said “we’re not really intimidated by any schools this year,” she wasn’t kidding.
Northwestern’s volleyball team (9-5, 2-0 Big Ten) opened Big Ten play last weekend by defeating Illinois (7-4, 1-1) and Purdue (9-5, 0-2) on the road. Not bad for a team that finished 6-14 in the conference last season.
Beating two squads listed higher in the standings wasn’t an easy task for the Wildcats. Both matches were drawn out to five games, with NU coming from behind to win in one of them.
“We definitely expected to compete,” NU volleyball coach Keylor Chan said. “And to finish 2-0, we couldn’t ask for a better record.”
The Cats didn’t let an 18-year losing streak at the Fighting Illini’s Huff Hall stand in the way of completing their best conference-opening weekend since 1987. Down two games to one and losing 20-16 in the fourth, NU rallied to win 30-25, 22-30, 22-30, 30-23, 15-9.
Roles were reversed Sunday when the Cats let a two-game lead slip away as the Boilermakers forced a fifth game. But NU was able to put the match away with a kill by outside hitter Iwona Lodzik to win 30-23, 33-31, 28-30, 20-30, 15-9. Now NU is one of only three Big Ten teams undefeated in conference action.
Lodzik said team unity was the key to a successful weekend.
“We came together as a team and didn’t give up when things got real tough and the pressure was on,” she said.
If any individual player stood out, it was Lodzik. The junior had 21 kills and 14 digs against Illinois and topped that in the Purdue match with 26 kills and 22 digs — both career highs.
NU started the weekend on the right foot with the previously sidelined Erika Lange back on the court. The status of the injured middle blocker was uncertain until game day, but she was in the starting lineup for both matches. She played the duration of the game against the Illini but pulled out early against the Boilermakers.
“(Lange) really helped the morale out today, ” Chan said. “But her ankle swelled up and she only played the first four or 3-1/2 games (Sunday).”
Lange helped the team with more than just her leadership. The junior posted 18 kills Friday and another 15 Sunday.
Opening conference play with two victories gives the team a boost as it returns to Evanston.
“We needed those two wins to give us the confidence to make it happen,” Lodzik said. “We want to take this program to the next level.”
