When a wildcat hunts, it typically waits until after the sun has gone down. It lies in wait, watches for unsuspecting prey to wander by, and then, out of nowhere, it pounces. The prey never sees the wildcat coming and is powerless to change its fate. Once the wildcat gets its claws hooked in, victory is imminent.
The Wildcats native to Welsh-Ryan Arena put on quite the hunt last night in a stunning five-set victory over the visiting Valparaiso Beacons. Northwestern (5-1, 0-0 B1G) defeated the Beacons (4-3,
0-0 MVC) despite dropping the first two sets, escaping Tuesday night’s match 21-25, 23-25, 26-24, 25-23, 15-13. The two teams tallied the same number of points over the course of the match, 110. Northwestern tallied nine more kills, but Valparaiso had eight more blocks. The match saw a total of 45 ties and 18 lead changes, including 15 and seven, respectively, in the second set alone.
Playing at home for the first time in the 2025 campaign, the Wildcats struggled to adjust to the friendly confines of Welsh-Ryan Arena, trailing 15-13 at the first media timeout despite a strong start from outside hitter Ayah Elnady. After the break, Northwestern stormed back to tie the first set thanks to a heavy dose of outside hitter Rylen Reid, but the Beacons never gave up control. Right-side hitter Sam Warren tallied three of Valparaiso’s final four kills, and had an assist on the kill that closed the set. Thanks to a .300 hitting percentage and three blocks (which helped hold the Wildcats to a .160 hitting percentage), Valparaiso held on for a 25-21 victory in the opening set.
Northwestern burst out of the gates in the second set thanks to strong play from middle blocker Bella Simkus and sloppy play from the visiting Beacons, sprinting out to an 8-6 lead. But Valparaiso quickly responded, and once again held a 15-13 lead at the media timeout after the Wildcats fell into some sloppiness of their own. A strong combination block from Simkus and Elnady gave Northwestern a 22-20 lead (after a 5-0 run fueled by outside hitter Buse Hazan brought them from down 17-13 to up 18-17), but that was all the ‘Cats could muster for the second set. Northwestern committed back-to-back attacking errors to seal a 25-23 loss in the second set, putting the team one set away from being swept at home.
But sometime in the third set, the sun went down. The Wildcat offense, lying in wait all evening, began to flex its muscles. The Beacons seemed to see it coming, but by the time they realized what was going on, it was far too late. The third set looked eerily similar to the second, with poor play from Valparaiso helping Northwestern build a 7-4 lead. The Wildcats were able to weather a few runs and take a 15-13 lead into the media timeout, but the Beacons responded with a 5-2 run to take an 18-17 lead. Tim Nollan called his first timeout of the set to try and settle his team down, and I dearly wish I could have whatever he said playing on a loop every time I wake up.
Northwestern’s offense erupted. Outside hitter Lily Wagner was flying across the court. Reid was trying to pound the ball through the hardwood. and the Northwestern front line was forcing Valparaiso’s attack into several critical errors. After Reid and Wagner combined for back-to-back kills to seal a 26-24 third set win, the Wildcats had momentum — and they were intent on not giving it up.
At least, that’s what it seemed like — until the fourth set started. The Beacons raced out to a 5-0 lead, and it seemed as though the third set would be merely a flicker of hope that was immediately extinguished. But then Elnady returned to the game, and she helped fuel an 8-3 run to tie up the set. From there, both teams traded haymakers until Gigi Navarrete stepped to the service line. At the libero’s first serve, the set was 17-16 in Valparaiso’s favor. By the time the dust settled, the Wildcats led 20-17. The last two points both came off aces from Navarrete, which rolled off the tape in such a similar fashion that it looked as though Navarrete had simply pressed rewind on the same play.
The shell-shocked Beacons did their best to respond, but another strong Reid finish gave the Wildcats a 25-23 victory to tie the match at two sets apiece. Valparaiso valiantly sought to return to its earlier form, but leads like 6-2 and 9-5 were not enough cushion against a hungry Wildcats team whose self-belief was beginning to peak. The Beacons’ final block of the night came on a Hazan attack and made the score 12-8, seemingly enough room to breathe. But the air was immediately snatched from their lungs, as an Elnady service run and several rollicking Reid rampages fueled a 6-0 run for the Wildcats. Valparaiso did get a point back, but it was in vain — an attack error on the next point sealed a 15-13 fifth set (and a dramatic reverse sweep) for the Northwestern win column.
Reid led the way for the Wildcats, with 13 kills on 43 swings to go along with 17 digs. Campbell Paris was Northwestern’s most efficient hitter with 17 kills on 36 swings (and a .333 hitting percentage), and Elnady tallied a double-double as well with 12 kills and 11 digs. Lauren Carter was a fantastic feeder, with 43 assists and six digs, and first-year libero Lauren Dignan provided critical defense with a team-high 20 digs. Northwestern hit just .165 as a team (the lowest mark of the season), but 101 total digs (the previous high was just 42!) and 71 assists (shattering the prior mark of 50) were enough to secure the win. After already tying its win total from last year, Northwestern volleyball is looking to continue its successful hunting spree on the road. The Wildcats will take on Buffalo this Friday at 5 p.m. central before battling with Niagara and Cornell in a doubleheader (also in Buffalo) on Saturday.
