The word “sweep” will be echoing the locker room halls as Northwestern volleyball heads home after a dominant road trip, one that finished with a three set onslaught of Rhode Island on Monday afternoon.
The win improved NU to 9-1 on the season and was its sixth straight victory. It marks the Wildcats’ best start since 2022, where they also began 9-1. They have easily eclipsed their overall win total from last season and already have more nonconference wins than both their 2023 and 2024 seasons combined.
The teams entered this game in very different situations. While the ‘Cats were riding an abundance of momentum from their success in the Buffalo Classic, the Rams were reeling off a 2-7 record and six straight losses entering the game.
While the teams’ current statuses were starkly contrasting, it didn’t seem that way to begin the first set. Both squads were competitive early on, alternating leads as kills from Campbell Paris, Isabella Bullington and Rylen Reid helped keep the ‘Cats neck and neck with the Rams. After garnering a 12-10 lead, however, the ‘Cats used stout defense, four service aces and continued aggression from Paris and Reid to gain separation, embarking on an 11-3 run to widen the deficit to 10 after a highlight-worthy kill from Bullington. A final put-away from Reid, who had five in the set, marked the end of a 25-15 victory in set one.
The second set mirrored the beginning of the first, with the ’Cats and Rams exchanging points early. But this time, NU was able to pull out in front much earlier. After tying the score at 5-5, NU scored seven straight points to widen its lead to 12-5. This was accomplished through forcing attack errors from Rhode Island, something the ‘Cats were also effective with earlier in the road trip against Niagara. Paris also contributed defensively with two block assists, adding to NU’s excellent defense.
The margin grew to 19-10 after another kill form Bullington, and the ‘Cats staved off any comeback attempt the Rams attempted, always responding to a Rhode Island point. NU went on to win the set 25-16, hitting a remarkable .500 in the frame alongside 16 kills, including five from Paris and three from Reid.
Going for the sweep, NU opened its third and final set in another close battle with Rhode Island, but this time that dead heat continued throughout the entire frame. After a back-and-forth battle, NU achieved some separation midway through the set on a kill from Kayla Kauffman, resulting in a 15-10 lead. Rhode Island was able to shrink the margin to three, but NU maintained its lead and once again fended off any chance of the Rams making an inroad.
Facing a 23-17 decifict late in the set, Rhode Island’s last comeback attempt closed the gap to four points, but punctuating kills from Reid and Elnady were enough to halt it and sweep Rhode Island out of the building: a 25-20 set three win.
Overall, this was one of the Wildcats’ sharpest and mistake-free matches this season. They had only seven errors in the match and hit a season-high .405. The Wildcats’ top performers on the day included Reid, who finished with a team-high 11 kills. Paris added nine kills, while Lauren Carter and Sienna Noordermeer were the primary facilitators of the offense, adding 17 and 15 assists respectively.
The ‘Cats will look to continue this early season surge when they returns back to Evanston to face St. Thomas on Thursday — a tougher test for NU as the Tommies hold a 6-3 record thus far.
