Northwestern felt it was on the edge of success, even after six straight conference losses to start the season. The team had lost in close games and blowouts.The Wildcats finally burst through with their first conference victory Friday in a 3-2 win at No. 19 Illinois. But they could not keep the momentum going in a 3-0 loss at No. 18 Purdue on Saturday. It goes down as a split in the record book. But to coach Keylor Chan and the team, the weekend was a positive.”Overall the week was a success,” Chan said. “We had chances, and that’s what you have to continue to have to win. I’m pleased with the weekend effort.”The beginning of Friday night’s game against Illinois did not bode well for NU (7-12, 1-7 Big Ten). The Illini (14-5, 5-3) scored the first point and never gave up the lead, winning 25-20.But the first-set loss did not get the Cats down, and they came back strong in the second set. After going on several short runs, the team led 24-19 late in the set. That lead was short-lived, as the Illini answered with a 5-0 run of their own, tying the set at 24. After Illinois scored the next point, NU sophomores Brittani Gray and Sabel Moffett combined for the next two kills and the final block to help NU win the set 27-25.”We had a great, hard week of practice and I think that really showed out on the court,” senior Chelsy Hyser said. “Everything was flowing really well. We played as a unit.”But the Cats faltered in the third set, scoring only 11 points. After a close start in which the teams swapped points, Illinois shut down NU’s offense to win the set on an 11-2 run.The Cats took the next set 25-19 thanks to three consecutive late kills by junior Ariel Baxterbeck that helped force the final set.The fifth set was close all the way to the end as both teams battled for the win. After nine ties, NU led 14-13, and the team took a timeout to regroup for the winning point. But a timely kill by Illinois kept the team in the game, and both teams exchanged points until Moffett finally closed the set at 19-17 with a kill.”It was a total team effort,” Chan said. “Our team is maturing and continuing to play good volleyball, we need to keep finding the courage to win that match.”NU faced Purdue (16-4, 5-3) on Saturday but was unable to gain another Big Ten win. Coming off an intense victory, the team’s physical and mental state was a factor in the loss.Despite the overall exhaustion of the team, NU kept each set close. Trailing Purdue 22-14 in the first set, the Cats’ went on a 5-1 run to close the gap to four. But the Boilermakers did not give up another point and won the set 25-19. The next set also went to Purdue, 25-20.”Our overall energy level and communication needed to be better,” Hyser said. “Usually when you win on Friday it transfers over to the next day, so physically we’re going to be tired. Our mental game needs to be a lot better.”The Cats started out the third set leading 5-1, but once again the Boilermakers came back to tie the game. After several lead changes, NU gained a 22-19 lead after a kill by freshman Alexandra Ayers. Four consecutive points by Purdue gave the team the lead, and it took the match-clinching set 25-23 for a three-set sweep.”Purdue is a very good team,” Chan said. “To beat two top-25 teams in one weekend is very hard.”Coming up on the schedule for NU this week are two more Big Ten contests. Both matches will be at home, against Indiana on Friday night and top-ranked Penn State on Saturday night.”We’re facing the No. 1 team, and that is going to be a great challenge for us,” Hyser said. “We can definitely be that team that takes that one game away from them.”

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