Entering last weekend’s action against Illinois and Wisconsin, No. 24 Northwestern needed one more key win against a top-25 opponent to essentially clinch a spot in December’s NCAA Tournament.
They got much more than that, crushing the then-No. 6 Illini in three sets and looking like a team that had a chance to win the tournament, not just make it.
“Our win against Illinois was just a great win,” senior setter Elyse Glab said. “We played amazing volleyball, and so did they. We just came out on top.”
After such a complete performance, it seemed like the team was poised to make a run in the final seven games of the season and carry some momentum into postseason play.
The very next night, however, the Wildcats were tripped up by the unranked Badgers, showcasing the inconsistencies they experienced in a tough November despite strong play from the team throughout the month.
“There were times during the Wisconsin game where we knew the game plan but just couldn’t quite execute to the level that we needed to,” senior outside hitter Christina Kaelin said.
Instead of collecting a defining pair of wins to vault themselves up the coaches’ poll, NU earned a split, and the weekend was a microcosm of an up-and-down season for the Cats.
The only thing that has remained constant has been their ranking; the Cats have been at 24th in the poll for over a month despite having both a five-game losing streak and the upset of Illinois during that span.
Part of this stagnation may be attributed to the toughness of the conference. Although not as top-heavy as the Pac-10, the Big Ten is a very deep conference where any of nine teams could make the tournament. The Cats are currently tied for fifth with Indiana, Ohio State and Purdue.
“Only so many teams from the Big Ten are going to make the tournament,” Kaelin said. “Nothing’s guaranteed.”
It just so happens that NU plays away matches against the Hoosiers and Boilermakers this weekend in what should be one of the more important weekends of the Cats’ season thus far.
“It’s real big,” coach Keylor Chan said. “All these teams we’re playing now, we’re all right in the middle. We’re all tied for fifth. If you can get those wins, it’s going to push you above them, and conversely, if they beat us, we’re going to fall below. I think it doesn’t get any more important than this weekend.”
Although winning games is of primary importance for NU, the final six games of the season also provide an opportunity for the team to iron out its flaws and build up some momentum as the Cats eye their first NCAA appearance since the 2005 season.
“There’s something to say about a team that finishes strong in their conference at the end of the year,” Kaelin said. “It kind of rolls over to the tournament. We’re just trying to take one game at a time and continue strong play. Hopefully that will roll over.”
