In its Big Ten home-opening weekend, the Northwestern volleyball team (9-5, 2-0 Big Ten) will put its perfect conference record on the line as it battles two very different teams.
The Wildcats host Iowa (6-6, 0-2) tonight in a 7 p.m. matchup and No. 6 Minnesota (15-2, 2-0) on Sunday at 2 p.m.
With last weekend’s wins over Illinois and Purdue — teams with better overall records than NU — the Cats are confident in their basic skills. But they still are wary of this weekend’s opponents, especially top-10 Minnesota.
“Iowa is in our reach,” junior outside hitter Iwona Lodzik said. “But Minnesota will be a battle.”
The Hawkeyes opened their conference schedule with two losses last weekend, but unranked Iowa took both Michigan and No. 21 Michigan State to four-game matches. Led by Renee Hill’s 3.46 kills-per-game average, Iowa could catch NU by surprise.
Although the Hawkeyes might not have a better record than the Cats, NU isn’t taking them lightly. Used to being the underdogs themselves, the Cats are unsure of what to expect from Iowa.
“Iowa’s been difficult to scout,” head coach Keylor Chan said. “So we don’t know — that’s the scary thing.”
All the Cats know is that their all-time series with Iowa is currently tied at 22-22-1, and NU wants not only to tilt the balance back in its favor, but to continue its conference winning streak.
“Iowa’s a pivotal match,” junior middle blocker Erika Lange said. “We haven’t won three Big Ten games in a row in a while.”
Fourteen years, to be exact.
Even if the Cats win tonight, their real test will come when they take on the Gophers. NU has already faced ranked opponents this season, with matches against then-No. 14 Pepperdine and No. 15 North Carolina — and lost to both.
Chan, however, isn’t ready to think about Sunday’s match just yet. He wants his team to focus on beating Iowa first.
“We’re excited about Minnesota,” he said. “But we don’t talk about it.”
Just because the Cats aren’t discussing the upcoming game doesn’t mean they aren’t thinking about it. Lange admitted the big match against Minnesota is in the back of most of the players’ minds.
“It’s hard not to look ahead because Minnesota’s been doing so well,” she said.
Currently at their second-highest ranking in school history, the Gophers are the clear favorites. Minnesota standout Cassie Busse was named last week’s Big Ten Female Athlete of the Week after her performance in defeats of Michigan State and Michigan last weekend.
“If we pass well and serve tough, we can compete,” Lodzik said. “That’s the whole base of our game.”
The Gophers face No. 13 Wisconsin tonight, which might drain them of some of their energy for the NU match. The Cats’ plan right now is to win against Iowa and ride the victory all the way through Sunday.
“We just need to come in prepared and get the ‘W’,” Chan said.
Iowa (6-6, 0-2 Big Ten) at NU (9-5, 2-0)
7 p.m., tonight
Welsh-Ryan Arena
No. 6 Minnesota
(15-2, 2-0) at NU
2 p.m., Sunday
Welsh-Ryan Arena
