Rebounding from losses in its first two matches of the season, the Northwestern volleyball team dominated its next nine opponents only to see the winning streak end Saturday against No. 3 Florida.
In their last tuneup before the start of a rigorous Big Ten schedule, the Wildcats fell to a strong Gators team 3-0 (30-18, 30-20, 30-20). The loss snapped an NU winning streak that dated back to Aug. 21, in which the team gave up only one game.
“This was a good tournament for us in terms of competition, but we played some decent teams along the way as well,” senior Erika Lange said of the Wildcat Classic, which included North Carolina, Chicago State and Florida.
Records were broken and milestones were reached as the Cats (9-3) in the NU-hosted tournament Sept. 19 and 20. Lange recorded 14 kills and was one of three NU players named to the all-tournament team. During Saturday morning’s matchup against Chicago State, the senior notched her 452nd block assist, surpassing the NU career record.
“Honestly, I had no idea,” said Lange, who also holds the NU record for hitting percentage. “I never know about that stuff until much later.”
Senior Iwona Lodzik also received the nod for her team-high 45 kills during the three game tournament. Junior Drew Robertson’s 51 assists in Friday’s matchup against North Carolina helped catapult her into third place on NU’s all-time list for that stat after a weekend total of 117.
Twenty two of Lodzik’s 45 kills also came Friday against North Carolina, as NU squeaked past the Tar Heels in three straight games (30-24, 31-29, 30-28). Sophomore Christie Gardner proved strong as she netted a double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs.
The Cats continued to roll Saturday morning as they took on Chicago State. Lange notched 11 kills and had a career high .733 hitting percentage while junior Jill Buschur held down the outside for NU with eight kills and four block assists.
NU’s streak was stopped Saturday night as the Gators were just too strong. The Cats struggled to find an answer to Flordia’s attack which included Aury Cruz, a player on PuertoRico’s national team. She led the Gators with 20 kills and 10 digs en route to being named tournament MVP. Senior middle blocker Benavia Jenkins contributed with 11 kills and five block assists.
“Florida is a team with one goal, and that is to win a National Championship,” NU assistant coach Josh Grau said. “Cruz is a franchise player. We knew she would be excellent player and a big threat.”
After facing Florida, the Cats feel they are capable of playing with the best of them.
“Florida was a very good team — I know they beat Minnesota in three (straight games), and Minnesota was picked to win the Big Ten,” Lange said. “So I think as long as we have momentum it will be a fun year.”
In head coach Keylor Chan’s fourth year at the helm, NU is in the process of climbing out of the basement of the Big Ten. After two years of being led by underclassmen, the team will be looking for big play from the maturing upperclassmen, trying to build on last seasons berth to the NCAA tournament, the first in 18 years.
It was only two seasons ago that the Cats were 7-28, a small improvement the previous year in which they finished 5-25. The losses and disappointment from those seasons is not something that the team has easily forgotten.
“That team was just totally new,” Lange said. “There were six freshmen and a whole new coaching staff. We were starting from square one. But it’s been really exciting to grow so much in such a short time as a program.”
The Cats will begin Wednesday with their first Big Ten game. Lange has shown to be a potent threat in the middle and with the addition of high school standout Julie Purcell, NU has the tools to turn heads.
At 6-foot-1, Purcell has seen the most action of the bench, but still is only used sparingly.
“Offensively she’s a great asset,” Josh said. “From the first day we expect every freshman to be competing for a starting spot. Julie is no different — she can play any position at this level.”
Correction: A story in Tuesday’s Daily incorrectly stated how long volleyball has been a varsity sport. The team has existed since 1976. Also, last season was the Wildcats’ first NCAA appearance in 18 years. The Daily regrets these errors. This correction is reflected in the story above.
