With the prospects of facing two Top 25 teams, coach Keylor Chan attempted to improve his team’s chances by turning to his bench last weekend.
While the adjustments didn’t contribute in the win column, freshman middle blocker Chelsy Hyser emerged as someone Chan sees making a serious impact in the near future.
Northwestern lost to two ranked opponents in disappointing matches, falling to 10-6 overall, 1-5 in the Big Ten. No. 4 Penn State (15-2. 6-0 Big Ten) beat the Wildcats 3-0 on Friday night. The Cats held on for five games against No. 18 Ohio State on Saturday (10-5, 3-3 Big Ten) but couldn’t close the door, losing 3-2.
“We can beat a team like (Penn State) if everyone plays up to par,” Hyser said. “It was learning experience, especially for the younger (players).”
The Cats started slow in the first game against Penn State and never caught up, losing 30-14. Penn State’s attacking and blocking proved too much for NU. The Cats also suffered from attacking errors – the Wildcats had 13 in the first game alone while Penn State had five in the match.
The Cats’ attacking and blocking improved in the second game. But serving errors hurt both teams and NU’s defense continued to struggle against Penn State, which recorded 18 kills during the game. Again, Penn State bested the Cats 30-21.
Serving errors continued to be a problem for both teams in game three. NU’s blocking and attacking grew weaker as the Cats fell 30-16 for the three-game sweep.
“Penn State played some great volleyball, and that’s why they’re gunning for a national title,” Chan said. “Overall you saw a team that’s clicking and really playing for a purpose in Penn State and you look at us, and we really struggled to find our rhythm.”
Sophomore outside hitter Lindsay Anderson led the NU offense with 11 kills, while senior libero Christie Gardner recorded 11 digs to lead the defense. Hyser had the highest hitting percentage at .375.
The Cats playing was spotty the next night against Ohio State, dominating the game at times and handing it to Ohio State at others.
“We didn’t play consistently enough to take the match. It could have gone either way, and if we had given it a little more, it probably would have gone ours,” senior defensive specialist Lizzie Carlson said.
The Cats ran out to a 15-9 lead in the first game, showing much more energy than they did the night before. Sophomore outside hitter Courtnie Paulus led NU with six of the team’s 18 kills, as the Cats won 30-25.
In the second game, NU gained momentum several times only to lose it a few plays later. The Cats found themselves in an early 11-5 deficit as attacking and serving errors cost them.
The third game was close throughout, with several long rallies. The Cats recorded 17 kills, 12 digs and two aces but also committed three serve-receive errors in the 30-24 win.
NU was forced to play catch-up in game four. The Cats repeatedly fell behind, caught up and then fell behind again. Finally, Ohio State had a six-point run near the end of the game from which NU couldn’t recover. Paulus scored two aces, and Anderson picked up five kills in the 30-21 loss.
The fifth game showcased the most dominating performance from Ohio State, which ran out to a 6-1 lead and never looked back. The NU defense was sluggish as the Cats committed four serve-receive errors. Ohio State claimed the game 15-10.
“We played better (than last night). We were competitive with a top-20 team,” Chan said. “The Big Ten season is almost halfway through, and we don’t have too much time left if we want to figure it out and make the NCAA tournament.”
Reach Annie Martin at [email protected]
