After the first set of the weekend, it seemed Maryland would defeat Northwestern with ease.
But the Wildcats (9-9, 3-5 Big Ten) turned the tables on the Terrapins (13-7, 3-5 Big Ten), comfortably winning the next three sets. Led by senior setter Alexa Rousseau’s 42 assists and 13 digs — her fifth straight double-double — NU defeated Maryland Friday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
“(It’s) so tough to win in this league,” coach Shane Davis said. “(You) cherish every win that you can get.”
The Terrapins got off to a fast start in set one, building an early 5-0 lead. Service errors and three kills apiece from senior middle blocker Leilani Dodson, sophomore middle blocker Kennedy Hill and graduate student outside hitter Julia Sangiacomo slowed Maryland’s progress in the middle of the set. But the Terrapins came out on top, 25-20.
The ‘Cats fought back in the second set, recovering from an early deficit to level the score at six. The teams traded points throughout the set, tying the score 15 times. NU, powered by eight more Sangiacomo kills, eventually took the set 25-21.
Junior libero Ellee Stinson said the difference between the first two sets involved limiting errors and providing opportunities for everyone to get swings.
The ‘Cats did exactly that to maintain control throughout the rest of the match. Rousseau led a dynamic offense, allowing NU to stay ahead for all of set three and win 25-17.
The fourth set was close again, with 12 ties and nine lead changes.
But, with the match knotted at 16, the ‘Cats went on a 7-1 run, eventually ending the set 25-20 with a Sangiacomo kill, sealing the win for NU.
“I’m really excited that we were able to put it all together tonight and stay pretty consistent, especially finishing those end-of-sets,” Sangiacomo said. “I thought it was a really great team effort of just staying together and making changes that we needed to make.”
The ‘Cats then traveled to Minneapolis to take on No. 24 Minnesota (8-8, 4-4 Big Ten), losing narrowly in five sets on Sunday.
NU couldn’t gain momentum during set one. Passing errors led to several Golden Gopher kills on overpassed balls from the ‘Cats. The powerful Minnesota offense didn’t help matters, as the Golden Gophers easily secured a 25-14 victory.
In set two, NU looked like a different team. The score remained close until the ‘Cats went on a 14-0 scoring run, spearheaded by strong serving from Sangiacomo and Minnesota errors. NU comfortably took the set 25-16.
The Golden Gophers started off the third set 5-0, but the ‘Cats slowly pulled themselves back into position, soon going on an 8-0 run with the help of Stinson’s defense. After a couple of challenges, one overturned in the favor of Minnesota and one for NU, the ‘Cats took the set 27-25.
NU started with a healthy lead in set four, but the Golden Gophers soon came back to tie the set at 13. From that point forward, Minnesota held the lead. Despite kills from Sangiacomo and sophomore outside hitter Averie Hernandez, the Golden Gophers pushed the match to five sets, 25-22.
Minnesota led for most of set five, but the ‘Cats tied the score at 10 thanks to Golden Gopher errors. Soon, however, a Minnesota block and a Sangiacomo service error allowed the Golden Gophers to win the set 15-12 to secure the match.
NU will be back in action Wednesday to take on one of the nation’s top teams, No. 2 Nebraska, at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
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