There will be no downbeat for coach Keylor Chan’s squad this weekend. Northwestern’s conference opener against two-time defending national champion Penn State will require the Wildcats to find their on-court rhythm right away.
After winning the Wildcat Classic tournament last weekend, NU hopes its six-game non-conference winning streak will translate into conference wins. The Cats begin the Big Ten season by hosting Penn State on Friday and Ohio State on Saturday.
“We’re on a winning edge after the tournament and I really hope that momentum will carry us through this weekend,” junior middle blocker Sabel Moffett said.
If last season’s conference matches are any indication, this weekend may prove difficult. The Nittany Lions delivered two definitive 3-0 sweeps of the Cats on their way to posting a perfect record and claiming the national championship. In fact, Penn State didn’t lose a set all of last season.
“We’re looking at the Penn State game as a great opportunity to see how good we are,” said Chan, who is one win away from his 150th victory at NU. “We will need to go out strong right away and worry about what’s happening on our side of the court.”
Penn State’s junior outside hitter Megan Hodge posted 15 kills in the teams’ second matchup in 2008. The two-time NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player looks to pose a threat again this season.
“Our assistant coach (Aaron Smith, a Penn State alumnus) has been emulating players like Hodge in training,” Moffett said. “Our defenders have been practicing handling someone like Megan Hodge.”
Moffett and junior Naomi Johnson will work in tandem as middle blockers, and their teamwork was central to the squad’s six straight wins prior to conference play. Johnson posted a career-high .364 hitting percentage during last season’s 3-2 loss to Ohio State in early October. The team will look to her for another good performance on Saturday against the Buckeyes.
“Naomi and Sabel have been pretty unstoppable on the court for us,” senior outside hitter Ariel Baxterback said. “They are playing really well and we are all communicating well, which will be important this weekend.”
After an injury-plagued start to her career, Baxterback is finally healthy for her senior season. The Cats will also look to sophomore setter and floor captain, Elyse Glab, to front a strong offensive scheme against the Buckeyes.
“Everyone is expected to be a leader on the court,” Chan said. “We have gone through a lot of different models of leadership over the past couple of seasons, but these girls are really good at self-policing, and I hope that this weekend will prove that.”
Ohio State is a statistically even matchup for NU. The Buckeyes posted a 3-17 Big Ten record last season, one win ahead of NU’s 2-18 finish, but the Buckeyes managed to defeat the Cats in both contests last season.
“It will be a tough weekend, but I’m definitely just pumped to get out there and play,” Moffett said. “We don’t approach the teams differently mentally. We’re just going out there to win this weekend.”
