It appeared the Wildcats were on an upswing as they toppled Michigan on Friday night and started strong against Michigan State on Saturday, but uneven playing cost them the match and diminished hopes for a midseason turnaround.
Northwestern won against Michigan 3-0 but lost to Michigan State 3-2, leaving the weekend 12-8, 3-7 Big Ten.
“It was so up and down and inconsistent,” sophomore outside hitter Courtnie Paulus said after the Michigan State game. “It was a heartbreaker to lose in five.”
The Cats won games one and three but couldn’t keep the momentum going in games two, four and five.
“We had moments when we were playing really well, but especially in games two and four, we let down,” sophomore outside hitter Lindsay Anderson. “We’re a good passing team but we let it down.”
The Cats led throughout the first game, eventually winning 30-25. In the second game, however, Michigan State (10-10, 3-7 Big Ten) led 23-14 and eventually won 30-21. Game three was much more like the first, as the Cats led 17-9 and maintained control over the game, prevailing 30-23. Game four was similar to game two as the Spartans took a 17-6 lead and the Cats never came within six points of their opponent after that point. Game five was close until the Spartans jumped ahead and won the game 15-10.
Blocking was strong throughout the match – the Cats accumulated 14 blocks compared to Michigan State’s seven – but NU allowed its opponent 76 kills while only recording 57.
“Our hitters need balls that are in-system,” coach Keylor Chan said. “Our offense did a good job controlling certain hitters but our defense didn’t capitalize, and that hurt us.”
Friday night went much more smoothly as the Cats swept Michigan (10-9, 4-6 Big Ten) in three very close games. Games one and three went past 30 points, but NU held on for a win.
“Michigan’s always been a great team we struggled with on the road, and it’s great to beat them,” Chan said. “We controlled the entire game and really executed the game plan well.”
The score was tied 25-25 and then 29-29 at the end of the first game, but the Cats won the next two points and took the game 31-29. In the next game, the Cats led 27-20, but Michigan closed the gap, trailing by just one point at 28-27. But the Cats claimed the next two points and won 30-27. In the third game, NU trailed 29-24 but caught up, eventually winning 33-31.
The Cats recorded 52 kills in the match, just five less than they had on Saturday, which was a five-game match. As on Saturday, blocking was strong as NU finished with nine. The Cats also recorded seven aces, including three by senior libero Christie Gardner.
“We definitely played great defense and offense,” Gardner said. “Our whole team came together. We kept balls in play and got great block touches.”
But the loss seemed to overshadow the win.
“Consistency really hurt us,” Chan said. “We were consistent in each of the games but not through the entire match. We didn’t control the ball tonight.”
Reach Annie Martin at [email protected].
