Wildcats Complete Sweep of Tournament With 3-0 Victory Against Columbia
Sept. 13, 2003
MIAMI -- Senior outside hitter Iwona Lodzik (Tarnobrzeg, Poland/Tarnobrzeg) led the Northwestern volleyball team to a 3-0 (30-14, 30-16, 30-24) victory against Columbia. The Wildcats swept the competition at the Orange and Green Challenge and improved to 7-2 on the season, while the Lions fell to 0-3. Lodzik recorded 19 kills, 13 digs and a career-high hitting percentage of .607 against the Lions. Backing up Lodzik was senior middle blocker Erika Lange, who had 13 kills, two total blocks, one service ace and a .579 hitting percentage. Freshman setter Lauren Greenwood (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood) led the team in assits with 25 and added seven digs to the Wildcat effort. In the first game of the final match of the Orange and Green Challenge, the Wildcats and the Lions swapped points early. NU went on a 4-0 run to pull away and take a 15-10 lead at the midpoint. The 'Cats allowed the Lions to cut the lead to four, but it would not be enough as Northwestern went on a 12-0 run to end the match and win, 30-14. The Wildcats scored eight unanswered points early in the second game to take a 13-4 lead on the Lions. Halfway into the game, NU led 15-5, but Columbia fought back and cut the lead to four at 15-11 after a 6-0 run. The 'Cats went on a late 10-1 run and defeated the Lions, 30-16. Northwestern got off to a quick start in the third game as they went on a 8-0 run early. The Purple and White continued to hold off the Columbia attack and led 15-6 at the midway point. The Lions refused to go away, as the Wildcats allowed Columbia to score seven unanswered points and cut the lead to three. Northwestern pulled away late to defeat the Lions by a score of 30-24.
Lange earned Most Valuable Player honors, while Drew Robertson (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly) and Lodzik were named to the all-tournament team for their efforts.
The Wildcats return to action Friday and Saturday, Sept. 19-20 when they host the Wildcat Classic at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Northwestern will host third-ranked Florida, North Carolina and Chicago State. |
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