After dropping the first set in both matches this weekend, No. 25 Northwestern managed to pull off two comeback victories to start off Big Ten play.
The Wildcats (12-1) defeated Indiana (12-2) on Friday by a final of 3-1 and followed that up with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Purdue (10-3) on Saturday.
The team is off to their best start since they opened the season at 14-1 in 1987, which is also the last time they appeared in the Top 25 before Monday’s poll from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Against Indiana, NU dropped the first set 21-25, which coach Keylor Chan said was due partly to the adrenaline of starting Big Ten play.
“I think we were way too excited to play,” Chan said. “It was nothing Indiana did to us.”
The Cats responded to the shaky first set by taking the next two. Led by senior middle blockers Naomi Johnson (18 kills, 4 blocks) and Sabel Moffett (15 kills, 5 blocks), NU appeared to hit its stride, trailing for only one point during that span.
“After game one, we were more relaxed,” Johnson said.
In the fourth set, however, Indiana staged a rally of its own, at one time extending a four-point lead over the Cats. Tied up at 20 points apiece, NU fought off the Hoosiers and gained the lead after a kill by Johnson. NU held off Indiana and closed out the set and the match.
The Cats had very little time to enjoy their victory, however, with Purdue coming to town the next day.
“We know Purdue will push us hard, and we’re going to have to win those critical points,” Chan said after NU’s matchup with Indiana.
The statement would prove prophetic, as NU eked out a win in the fifth set against its conference rival.
The match started similarly to Friday’s against Indiana as the Cats once again dropped the first set. NU would again win the next two on strong performances from Johnson (20 kills, 3 blocks), Moffett (17 kills, 4 blocks) and fifth-year outside hitter Christina Kaelin (13 kills, 3 blocks).
With the game on the line, Purdue opened up the fourth with a furious rally, at one point leading the Cats by eight. A late effort by the Cats couldn’t salvage the set, as they fell 20-25.
NU, however, rode the comeback attempt into the fifth set and did not trail the rest of the match, sealing the weekend sweep with a 15-12 final set.
“We got a lot of momentum in the fourth with that big run,” Kaelin said.
NU hopes to ride the momentum from the weekend as they enter the more difficult portion of their conference slate. In the next month, they have matchups against No. 7 Illinois, No. 17 Minnesota, No. 19 Michigan and No. 4 Penn State.
The Nittany Lions have claimed three-straight national championships and had won a staggering 109 victories in a row before losing to No. 1 Stanford earlier this season.
“Anytime you can sweep in the Big Ten in a weekend, it’s awesome,” Chan said.
The Cats continue their conference schedule next weekend with games at Wisconsin and Illinois.
