Northwestern fell to Ohio State in straight sets Thursday.
The loss mirrored last week’s to No. 10 Purdue and Illinois, where the Wildcats (3-10, 1-4 Big Ten) played a tight first set but lost steam as the match wore on. Despite coming close to forcing a fourth set, NU was ultimately swept by the Buckeyes (8-7, 1-4 Big Ten).
“We’re getting real close,” coach Tim Nollan said. “We just got to find a way to convert one more time, here or there.”
The ’Cats quickly pulled ahead to start the first set, with three kills from junior outside hitter Rylen Reid padding NU’s 6-0 run. The Buckeyes tied the score at 11 and slowly pulled ahead. After a timeout from Nollan, the ’Cats clawed back on highlights from junior middle blocker Kennedy Hill, graduate student middle blocker Sophia Summers and sophomore outside hitter Lily Wagner. But with the score tied at 23, Ohio State delivered a kill followed by an ace to take the first set 25-23.
The second set started as a back-and-forth affair, but the Buckeyes’ offense soon came out to play. Ohio State kept the lead, capitalizing on attack errors by NU and tallying four aces throughout the set. Despite last-minute back-to-back kills from Hill, supplemented by an ace from graduate student setter Alexa Rousseau and a kill from Wagner, the Buckeyes took the set 25-16.
Hill attributed the lopsided second set score to a “dip in energy” between sets.
“I feel like a lot of the time, that’s why we see that pattern, and that’s something that I think we’re working on actively every single game, and we’re getting a little bit better each time,” Hill said.
Ohio State pulled ahead from the outset of the third set, led by Big Ten kill leader Emily Londot. Hill evened the score by supplying a kill and blocks, but Ohio State battled back. NU tied the set again late on a 4-0 run, but it wasn’t enough. The Buckeyes sealed their first Big Ten win with an ace, taking the third set 26-24.
Despite the loss, the ’Cats continued their balanced offensive performances. Six players tallied kills against Ohio State. Rousseau led the offense with nine kills while recording a double-double through 10 assists and 17 digs. Hill recorded eight kills and a team-leading .700 hitting percentage and held down the defense with seven blocks.
“She’s just so electric and fun to watch, and she’s really, honestly, getting better every day,” Nollan said. “We’ve added a couple of different set plays forward to help get her the ball a little bit more, and she’s really taken to that.”
NU will be back in action Sunday at No. 9 Wisconsin.
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