Aug. 24, 2007
Bearcats Win Season Opener Against Montevallo
KEARNEY, Neb. – After dropping game one, Northwest rolled with three straight wins for a 3-1 victory over Montevallo (Ala.) today in the Nebraska-Kearney Volleyball Classic.
Northwest advances to 1-0 on the new season, while Montevallo (Ala.) drops to 0-2. The Bearcats improve to 18-14-1 (.561) in season-openers all-time.
Following a 32-30 loss in game one, a kill from sophomore Rachel Nisi sparked a 6-0 run to build a 10-4 lead for the Bearcats early in game two. A kill from freshman Sara Falcone later in the same game started an 8-0 rally, pushing Northwest to a 22-13 lead and eventually a 30-15 victory in game two.
The Bearcats dominated much of the final two games, trailing only by 1-0 in the beginning of each game. Northwest won game three by a 30-19 margin and took the match with a 30-15 win in game four.
Nisi led the Bearcats with 18 kills, followed closely by Falcone with 17. Freshman Katie Swenson tallied 55 assists while freshman Paige Spangenberg notched 22 digs. All four athletes were playing in their first match for Northwest.
Northwest held a +29 advantage in kills (74-45) and posted a .348 hitting percentage (74 kills, 18 errors, 161 attempts).
The Bearcats will face host Nebraska-Kearney at 7:00 p.m. later tonight. The Lopers won 3-0 over St. Martin’s (Wash.) 30-11, 30-7, 30-21, earlier this afternoon.
Individual Notes
- Rachel Nisi leads four Bearcats with double-digit kills, recording 18 in her Northwest debut.
- Starting libero Paige Spangenberg leads team with 22 digs
- Alicia Johnson tallies two service aces in first Bearcat start
Team Notes
- Northwest stands 18-14-1 (.561) all-time in season-openers and 6-4-1 (.625) when opening in a neutral location.
- Northwest is 3-3 against Montevallo (Ala.) all-time, snapping a two-match skid to the Lady Falcons.
- Northwest held a 6-0 advantage in service aces after game three … Largest advantage since an 8-2 advantage over Henderson (Ark.) State on Oct. 13, 2006.
- Northwest goes on 6-0 run near the beginning of game two (from 4-4 to 10-4).
Northwest has won five of the past six non-conference matches. - 30-15 game two and game four wins are largest margin of victories in single games since Oct. 17, 2006 in a 30-15 win in game two vs. No. 15 Washburn.
- Northwest held a 74-45 (+29) advantage in kills, the largest since a 69-39 (+30) advantage vs. Upper Iowa on Sept. 26, 2005.
- The .348 hitting percentage (74 kills, 18 errors, 161 attempts) is the highest since posting .360 (53 kills, 13 errors, 111 attempts) against South Dakota on Sept. 2, 2005.
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