Northwestern (11-5, 1-3 Big Ten) failed to pick up wins in its weekend slate of Big Ten home matchups, dropping contests against Michigan State and No. 10 Minnesota. While NU battled in both games, the
defeats dropped the Wildcats to the lower tier of the conference standings and punctured the momentum gained from the non-conference success of the past few weeks.
Michigan State defeats NU (25-15, 15-25, 20-25, 21-25)
Despite the somber finish, the Wildcats came out swinging in the first set and dominated the Spartans, as they did not once trail throughout the frame. The stout defense and consistent playmaking discombobulated Michigan State, which committed 10 attack errors in the set alone while hitting a mere 0.026%.
Despite initially starting as back-and-forth, the ‘Cats pulled away early. They jumped out to a 7-4 lead after kills from Isabella Bullington and Rylen Reid, while Paris Campbell and Ayah Elnady widened it to 10-6 on putaways of their own. Michigan State shrunk the lead to 13-11 midway through the set, but after that, NU’s defense took control. After a kill from Kayla Kauffman, it had four straight blocks and completely stifled the Spartans’ attack, helping propel a 7-0 run that brought the score to 20-11. The ‘Cats held on for a dominant 25-15 win that flexed Northwestern’s strong defensive front.
While NU hoped the first set would set the tone for the remainder of the match, it instead became an anomaly. The second set was almost a flipped version of the prior one, as this time Michigan State jumped out to a 10-5 lead and quickly expanded it to 19-9, recovering from kills by Bullington and Bella Simkus via racking up several attack shots of its own. Back-to-back points by Northwestern provided a sliver of hope, but the rally could not be sustained and the ‘Cats lost 25-15 to even the set score.
NU looks much sharper to start the third set, opening a 5-1 start after another kill from Bullington. While it maintained a lead for several subsequent points, the Spartans slowly crawled back and ended up evening out the score at 11-11. Bullington and Reid’s kills weren’t enough to regain momentum, as Michigan State kept countering. Eventually, the Spartans wore off the ‘Cats through a 7-0 run to take a commanding 20-14 lead. Reid’s back-to-back kills tightened the disparity to four, but it wasn’t enough to threaten Michigan State as it closed out a 25-20 win.
The fourth set was a contentious battle with quality offense from Bullington and Reid, who each garnered five kills. But Michigan came out with another fast start, jumping ahead 12-5 and withstanding every threat from the ‘Cats. Despite Northwestern tightening the lead to just 20-17, the Spartans held on for a 25-21 final set advantage that stamped their victory.
Bullington and Reid each posted 15 kills in the losing effort, while Elnady added 9 kills and 10 digs of her own. Lauren Carter led the team with 31 assists, the second time she’s reached above 30 in her career.
No. 10 Minnesota outlasts the ’Cats (18-25, 22-25, 25-17, 24-26)
Northwestern hoped to bounce back Sunday against a much tougher opponent in No. 1o-ranked Minnesota. The match was defined by sets that all initially started close, but featured one team pulling away at the end.
That team was Minnesota in the first set. Both teams split the first 20 points, with the Gophers taking a 9-6 lead but the ‘Cats responding behind kills from Reid and Elnady. The same pattern repeated itself as Minnesota widened the margin to 13-10, but the Wildcats again evened it up at 13-13 through an ace from Drew Wright — the sixth and final tie of the set. However, the Gophers would dominate from that point forward, using short runs to widen the margin to 17-13 and not looking back, en route to a 25-18 set one win.
The second set proved to be just as contentious to start, with a stronger offensive performance from the Wildcats as they recorded 17 kills and a .310 attack percentage. Elnady and Reid’s putaways helped kickstart a 5-1 lead for NU, and they clung on to the lead but did not relinquish it for several points. The Gophers tied it up at 13-13 and again at 15-15, but neither time were they able to jump ahead. Although Minnesota eventually took a 17-16 lead, the ‘Cats continued to battle, knotting the score at 19-19 to set up a thrilling conclusion. But two aces and back-to-back kills from Minnesota helped them squeeze ahead, and they staved off NU’s comeback attempt to take set two, 25-22.
Facing a 2-0 set score, NU played with a sense of urgency that led to its success. Both teams traded points through the first half of the frame, but the Wildcats’ 4-0 run midway through the set — catapulted by two aces from Reid — gave it a 16-12 lead and command of the set. The lead ballooned to 19-13 behind back-to-back kills from Elnady, who posted 5 throughout the frame. Northwestern kept a firm grasp on the lead down the stretch, and a kill from Campbell Paris punctuated the ‘Cats first set win of the night.
The final set was on par with the others as it featured the Gophers continuing to take leads and the ‘Cats fighting back until they ran out of steam. While Minnesota took two separate advantages near the set’s midpoint — 9-6 and 15-11 — both times Northwestern pieced together a string of points to level the score. The ‘Cats eventually took a 19-18 lead on a kill from Bullington, but the Gophers countered with a four-point run. NU was put in a late hole but refused to lie down, again tying the score at 24-24 on consecutive kills from Paris and Reid. However, with the win-by-two rule in effect, the Gophers closed out the four-set victory with two straight points — taking the final set 26-24.
Despite the loss, it was a strong day for Bullington, who again led the team with 14 kills. Elnady continued her two-way prowess with 14 kills and 10 digs. Carter’s 28 assists add to her case as arguably the strongest facilitator on the team this year, as she now has 20+ assists in each Big Ten contest this year.
After a four-game home stand, the ‘Cats will look for better Big Ten luck this upcoming weekend when they travel to face Rutgers and Penn State.
