Northwestern volleyball will have the chance to gain its second consecutive winning season this fall.
The 2022 Cats went 18-14 (7-13 Big Ten), earning their first winning season since 2014 and finishing 10th in the conference.
However, those wins were earned with the help of several players who have since left NU. One of the most notable is outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara, who ended the 2022 season ranked second in the Big Ten in kills. Thomas-Ailara, who received Big Ten Player of the Week honors three times last season, will spend her final year of eligibility as a Wisconsin Badger.
But with transfers Lauren Carter, Maddy Chinn, Ellie Husemann, Julia Sangiacomo and Rylen Reid joining the Cats, the gaps in the lineup may be filled.
On the younger side, first-years Gigi Navarrete and Drew Wright will arrive at NU with impressive volleyball resumes. Navarrete, a 2022 AVCA 1st Team High School All-American libero and defensive specialist, and Wright, a 2021 USA Volleyball Championship All-Tournament outside hitter will bring their deep experience to Evanston.
Impact players returning to the Cats are senior setter Alexa Rousseau and senior middle blocker Leilani Dodson, alongside sophomore outside hitter Kathryn Randorf and junior defensive specialist Ellee Stinson. The influx of new faces on the roster will require these returners to ground the team, especially early on this fall.
As always, NU will face a tough Big Ten schedule, opening conference play against the Wisconsin Badgers, who finished fifth in the nation in 2022. The team is also set to face Nebraska twice, after the Cornhuskers’ ninth-place finish last year.
But if the new and returning Cats gel, this could be a big season for NU.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @pleonegetten
Related Stories
—Volleyball: Northwestern recruits Santa Clara University transfer Julia Sangiacomo as outside hitter
—Volleyball: Northwestern falls to Indiana, Michigan State over the weekend
—Volleyball: New setter, defensive issues extend Northwestern’s losing streak to four
