Sept. 17, 2007

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Sophomore libero Kate Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) has been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after earning MVP honors at the 26th Annual Wildcat Classic.

Nobilio led NU to its seventh-straight win and the tournament title, averaging 6.7 digs per game while reaching the 20-dig mark in every match and passing NU to a better-than .319 team hitting percentage in every match.

She tied her career-high with four aces Friday against Drake and broke her career high with five assists Saturday against Saint Louis. Nobilio entered last weekend ranked 10th in the nation with 6.19 digs per game; she currently leads NU with a 6.33 digs per game average on the year.

Defensively, Northwestern held its opponents to an under .100 hitting percentage on the weekend, continuing to lead the Big Ten in opponents' hitting percentage.

The honor is the second of Nobilio's career after also earning the nod on Oct. 16, 2006. Northwestern has picked up six conference Defensive Player of the Week awards since its inception in 2005.