Northwestern losing both preseason games was worrisome but not yet a reason to panic. At the end of the day, it was 0-0 on the year and, despite losing the two exhibition matches to inferior opponents, still had a blank slate ahead to defy expectations.
Yet, after losing to George Mason and American in consecutive days to open the season and staring down a Georgetown team which had just beaten both of the previous two teams mentioned, the Wildcat panic meter had begun to climb. Although George Mason and American are
quality non-power conference teams, they were winnable games that the ‘Cats let slip away. If Northwestern was to lose to Georgetown, going 0-3 on its weekend road trip, before heading to face two SEC teams in Mississippi, the season may have been over before it even got started.
However, on Sunday, a bright light shone over Northwestern as its true potential showed. The ‘Cats looked past their 0-2 start and played three near-perfect sets of volleyball to pick up their first win in an emphatic way.
Before we get to the goods, though, let’s look at what went wrong on Friday and Saturday. A more in-depth recap of the games can be found here, but know that neither of Northwestern’s first two matchups looked pretty. The ‘Cats lost to George Mason in four sets, then followed that up by falling to American in a five-set thriller.
The main point of contention in the first two games was, surprisingly, a lack of offense. Coach Tim Nollan prioritized back-row defense over dynamic weaponry and subbed in liberos Lauren Dignan and Gigi Navarrete alongside Drew Wright whenever right-side hitter Mara Štiglic or outside hitter Campbell Paris had completed their front-row rotation. While these substitutions theoretically shored up Northwestern’s defense, the gains were not seen as much as the limitations NU saw on the offensive end. Ellie Stiernagle had no back-row options, so she was often forced to choose between just two possibilities: either a struggling Bella Bullington, the question mark the ‘Cats currently have at middle and Campbell and Štiglic, who performed well but seemingly were never on the court in the most important moments. The rotation, which saw three liberos in the back, Stiernagle setting in the front row and one of NU’s middles who couldn’t muster the confidence to swing, left Bullington as the only viable hitting option. Opponents were well aware of the Wildcat’s one-dimensionality and made life extremely difficult for Bullington.
Now, I never would have thought I would be critiquing Northwestern’s lack of versatility, as it has so many capable hitters on paper. The thing is, the current lineup stresses staying in points instead of putting them away. I’m not saying Nollan should scrap all the substitutions and return to a more traditional 5-1 rotation, but I am saying that, at least in the first two games, Northwestern badly needed more options and creativity on offense.
Additionally, the blocking was less than ideal. Northwestern’s block was frequently getting hit over the top, and when a Wildcat pin player was up at the net, George Mason and American feasted on hitting crosscourt as the ‘Cats’ middles appeared a step too slow at all times. To make up for the lack of penetration on the block, Northwestern’s back row seemed to take a step backward, which opened up the middle of the court for short tips. The Wildcat defense was out of sync in the first two games, and opponents exploited wide gaps on the court.
The final two negatives that stuck out were serving and serve receive. Northwestern had 14 service errors in both of its first two games, and the misses came at crucial times, exemplified by the ‘Cats losing the fifth set to American on a serving error. At that point in the game, the only important thing is getting the ball in play and living to see another touch.
The receiving end was just as bad in the clutch. Northwestern lost the decisive second set to George Mason due to two bad passes when the score was tied at 26. The ‘Cats played around with a four-man receive at times, but no matter what, it seemed they couldn’t get the ball to Stiernagle when it mattered the most. Bullington played a large part in this, as she became a target for the opposition’s serves. She’s the only non-setter to play all the way around, and it seemed like this great responsibility was too much for her to handle. Bullington’s serve receive was poor, her back-row defense left much to be desired, and her hitting struggled, especially against George Mason. Bullington is such a multi-talented and essential part of the Wildcat team, but her all-around game must improve if the ‘Cats want to exceed expectations.
That need for a more complete performance became even clearer Sunday, when Bullington’s versatility was a driving force behind NU’s straight-set win over Georgetown.
Bullington delivered exactly the type of performance against the Hoyas that justifies her expansive role for the ‘Cats. She had 12 kills while hitting .346, along with three aces and nine digs. That’s the type of well-rounded game that Northwestern needs to see from their sophomore star consistently. It became clear over the weekend that Štiglic may become the go-to hitter when a kill is desperately needed, and Paris is a more-than-capable second fiddle who exhibits extraordinary fundamentals in all areas of the game, but Bullington is the wildcard. If she can contribute in every aspect of the game while being the hitter who consistently and effectively gets the Wildcats out of tough positions, the ‘Cats’ ceiling could be a lot higher than one might think. It’s hard to think positively after a somewhat disappointing 1-2 weekend, but the bones of a great team are there.
So, if Štiglic and Bullington can be a persistent and dynamic duo, Paris can do the little things as the complementary option, Stiernagle continues to grow into her collegiate self and the liberos continue to make magic happen in the back row, then Wildcat success comes down to the middles. Kayla Kauffman lost her starting spot halfway into the game against George Mason, and Gabrielle Gerry didn’t suit up, leaving the first-year pair of Maya Stillwell and Hayley Schaaf as the answer to NU’s problems for the foreseeable future. Both showed flashes of blocking potential and hitting creativity on slides and gaps, but they also both have a ways to go. The middle position was noticeably weak this weekend, hurting the offense’s versatility, and, among many other Northwestern issues, it needs to improve.
Overall, there’s a lot to be fixed for the ‘Cats, but flashes on Friday and Saturday and most of Sunday showed why Northwestern can continue its ascension. NU is playing three first-years and two sophomores heavy minutes right now, so it’s going to take time. The 1-2 start isn’t ideal heading into a tough trip to the South to end the week, but it wasn’t all bad. Next up is Alabama on Thursday at 2 p.m. CT and Mississippi State on Friday at 6 p.m. CT.
