It’s been an uncertain offseason for the Wildcats following a coaching vacancy and challenging 2023 season — but sitting alongside new coach Tim Nollan last Monday, the roster’s stars emphasized the program’s hunger and ambition for the upcoming season.
Graduate student setter Alexa Rousseau and junior middle blocker Kennedy Hill represented Northwestern at the Big Ten Media Days in Chicago, describing an experienced and tight-knit group ready to face down the gauntlet of Big Ten volleyball.
Nollan, the squad’s leader, recently joined the team in February after an eight year tenure as head coach at Grand Canyon University. His hiring followed the departure of former head coach Shane Davis, whose alleged hazing and bullying of players put an uneasy spotlight on the program last season.
But the ’Cats are moving on from last year’s coaching change and 15-15 record, and they’re ready to jump into this year’s lineup. Ahead of their season opener Aug. 30, here are a few takeaways for the exciting season ahead:
Nollan meshing with the team, pushing for the tournament in his inaugural season
Since his February arrival, Nollan has been warmly embraced by the tight knit Wildcat squad. The team was briefly coach-less during the offseason, a circumstance that produced its own unique set of challenges, but Nollan has quickly jumped into season prep with the group.
“When Tim came along he was very respectful of the values we had as a group of girls in our program, but also made sure he seamlessly integrated what he was about and his values, and things outside of volleyball like mental practices and mental health,” said Rousseau. “I think it was a great match, and we’ve been able to listen really well and be really competitive for him.”
On the court, the central goal of the new coaching staff is to finally earn a playoff berth. NU has historically struggled to put it all together — despite a slew of talent — and has continuously fallen short of the NCAA tournament, sometimes by heartbreaking margins.
Under Nollan, the program is hungry for a change.
“Every single year we’ve come a little bit closer since my freshman year, and while that can be frustrating it is also incredibly motivating,” Rousseau said. “Now that we have a few top 10, top 15 wins under our belt over those seasons, we’ve started to see what the greatest thing is in a program and that’s self belief.”
“Being underestimated motivates us every single season,” added Hill, highlighting an underdog mentality that the group has embraced as they launch this season’s campaign for a playoff slot.
Conference expansion to bring a new West Coast style of play
Looking toward a new schedule with UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington included in Big Ten competition, the ’Cats are eager to take on the different style of play utilized by their West Coast counterparts.
Oregon will prove an especially tough addition to NU’s conference schedule as it prepares for a Nov. 15 matchup in Eugene, for which the Wildcats have already expressed particular excitement. The Fighting Ducks finished the 2023 regular season ranked No. 8 in the country, sporting a 26-5 record and running on strong momentum. They beat the ’Cats 3-0 last season in a non-conference matchup.
“(The West Coast schools are) a little bit more outside of the box thinkers. Matt (Ulmer) up at Oregon does a really nice job, really offensive-based. USC, UCLA they play a little different style of the game, serve and pass based,” Nollan said. “They approach it differently, so you’re going to have to prep differently for it every night.”
NU has its fair share of West Coast ties, an asset as it gears up to face this new style of play. The team sports five players from California and Oregon, including breakout star Hill, who “knows that style of volleyball,” according to Rousseau.
Nollan himself was an associate head coach at USC and, less recently, an assistant coach at Pepperdine, adding a substantial tally to the team’s West Coast volleyball IQ.
A final season for Rousseau
This season will be the last for Rousseau, who has been a star setter and steady team leader over her past four seasons with the ’Cats — and she’s looking to finish strong on and off the court.
“My legacy is something that I’m working on closing on. Just helping these girls when I leave the program knowing that they’re at their best…and letting them know that I’ve been their biggest cheerleader and will continue to be,” Rousseau said. “Leaving a place better than you found it is kind of my approach this last season.”
The rising graduate student stands sixth in all-time career assists in program history with 3,315, cracking the 40-assist threshold 10 times last season and landing fifth in the Big Ten for season assists, underlining her central role for NU as it prepares for the season.
Nollan said Rousseau has had a strong preseason breakout this spring, and he expects that trend of hers to continue as she enters what will be her last chance to lead the team to a successful season run.
“She’s the rock,” Nollan said. “She’s versatile, she’s a dual threat, she sets tempo really well. She can do it all.”
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