The last time Northwestern hosted a top five team at Welsh-Ryan Arena, the Wildcats dominated the then-No. 2 Nebraska Cornhuskers — stunning the volleyball world in a 3-1 victory to close out their 2011 campaign.
After winning its first Big Ten match last weekend against Indiana, NU has an opportunity to upset another top five team at home.
“Being back in our home court is always a good treat and we’re hoping to come out with two more victories,” senior setter Madalyn Shalter said after the Cats’ 3-1 victory against the Hoosiers.
On Friday, NU (12-3, 1-3 Big Ten) will face its first major test of the season against No. 1 Penn State (14-1, 4-0), before taking on No. 19 Ohio State (11-5, 2-2) the following night.
“We’re going to have to be ready and everyone is going to have to pull this rope in the same direction,” coach Keylor Chan said. “We need to be a great team.”
To win this weekend, the Cats will have to prevent their opponents from gaining momentum. Against No. 12 Purdue (13-2, 4-0) on Friday, NU took leads in the first three sets, but could only hold on to win one of those sets. Even in the Indiana (8-8, 0-4) victory, NU lost the first set after having eight attacking errors before rallying to win the match.
To limit opponent runs, Chan has implemented several different drills to help his team improve in this area, including practice matches, where 3 straight points are required to gain a notch on the scoreboard. Many players feel the ultimate way to solve this problem is to simply stay confident in pressure-filled situations.
“I think it really goes back to our confidence and that if the other team does score two points on us we need to bounce back,” freshman defensive specialist Abbie Kraus said.
Playing in a conference in which seven of the 12 teams are currently ranked in the top 25 of the AVCA Coaches poll, it is critical for NU to win any match it can.
History is not on the Cats’ side, especially in regard to the Nittany Lions match. Penn State has dominated the overall series, with 42 wins in 50 matches against NU. The Cats have not beaten Penn State since Nov. 23, 2002.
“The margin between winning and losing (in the Big Ten) is minute,” Chan said. “Hopefully this weekend we will find ways and what we need to be successful,”
The Cats’ goals for this weekend extend beyond wins and losses, with sophomore middle blocker Savannah Paffen saying the team is focused on improving their play.
“Obviously we want to win, but our main goal is just to get better when we play the other team,” Paffen said.
