The Northwestern volleyball team isn’t a fluke.
At least, that’s what the Wildcats will to try to show in tonight’s rematch against No. 14 Wisconsin.
So far this season, NU’s best win came on Oct. 23 when the unranked Cats beat the then-No. 15 Badgers. But the pressure is on the Cats (16-12, 9-7 Big Ten), as NU travels to Madison to take on Wisconsin (19-7, 10-5) and prove that the earlier win was based on talent, not dumb luck.
The Cats last had a season sweep of the Badgers in 1986.
NU might still be shy of a national ranking — and the Badgers might have jumped up to No. 14 — but NU is counting on its earlier victory to give the team an edge tonight.
“It’s never a disadvantage to have the win behind you,” NU head coach Keylor Chan said.
But with their 1-5 record against ranked teams, the Cats know how tough the best can be. And Wisconsin might be an even tougher challenge, since NU’s upset is still on its mind.
“They’ll come out with extra vengeance,” junior defensive specialist Erica Knavel said. “That will make it more exciting.”
The Badgers boast the most recent Big Ten volleyball Player of the Week in senior setter Morgan Shields, who notched a .615 hitting percentage in Wisconsin’s defeats of Illinois and Purdue last weekend. Shields leads the conference in service aces with .52 per game.
Tonight, Shields will be up against the Cats’ Drew Robertson. The NU sophomore setter is fresh off two 60-set assist performances.
NU junior middle blocker Erika Lange has also reclaimed her No. 1 spot as the top blocker in the Big Ten, averaging 1.51 per game. No Wisconsin player ranks in the top ten on the conference block list.
“We’ll have to show them our energy,” Chan said. “We’ll have to stay focused, too.”
Another obstacle standing in the way of an NU win is Wisconsin’s Field House where almost 3,500 fans fill the stands, giving the Badgers the third-best attendance numbers in the nation.
“It’s like having a seventh person on the court,” Chan said.
This game marks the second time that the Cats have a pair of family connections with the opposition. NU freshman outside hitter Christie Gardner will try to prove to her sister Korie, a Wisconsin defensive specialist, that the Cats are tops, while assistant coach Meggan Kohnen will check out the play of little sister Katie, another defensive specialist for the Badgers.
After tonight’s game, NU comes home for a match against Penn State on Saturday. Chan said his team enjoys having a break between its weekly matches and hopes to capitalize on the opportunity to focus on one game at a time.
“It’s a lot less stress playing a midweek game,” Chan said. “We get two days to prepare for Wisconsin and another two days to focus on Penn State.”
NU’s current three-game winning streak is due to the players’ ability to adapt to changes in one another’s play, Chan said. He added that they have more tricks up their sleeves this weekend.
“We’ve progressed as a team,” Chan said. “Wisconsin’s going to see some new things from us.”
