Northwestern volleyball suffered its third straight loss Sunday night in a sweep by Indiana.
Despite two close opening sets, the Wildcats (4-14, 2-8 Big Ten) couldn’t contain the Hoosiers’ (10-10, 3-7 Big Ten) effective blocking and continuity on offense, losing 25-22, 25-21 and 25-20.
Junior outside hitter Buse Hazan led the way for NU with a team-high 12 kills, while graduate student setter Alexa Rousseau recorded 29 assists. Junior outside hitter Kathryn Randorf recorded four blocks, and sophomore libero Drew Wright added 10 digs.
The ’Cats hit a mere .187 throughout the night compared to Indiana’s .358. NU did a quality job keeping the ball in play but often struggled with putting away shots and closing out points.
In the first set, the ’Cats jumped out to a 7-5 lead but surrendered an 8-2 run to Indiana that put them in a 13-9 hole. It was a back-and-forth affair from that point on, with NU tying the set 21-21 on a kill by Rousseau. Indiana quickly countered by scoring three straight points, taking advantage of an attack error to close out the set 25-22.
The second set was much like the first, as both teams continued to trade points.
After losing a 10-9 lead, NU continued to fight hard but never regained the lead. The Hoosiers were relentless on offense and fought out the marathon points, with one point lasting nearly 90 seconds before an attack error by Randorf.
The ’Cats responded with effective plays, including kills from Hazan and Rousseau along with block assists from Randorf and graduate student middle blocker Sophia Summers. However, Indiana once again rounded out the set on back-to-back kills, winning 25-21.
Momentum shifted in Indiana’s favor during the third set. The Hoosiers out-blocked the ’Cats 6-1 as they amped up their defensive intensity and neutralized Hazan on the attack.
Facing match point down 24-17, NU found some life with a kill and ace from Hazan before a block assist from junior outside hitter Rylen Reid, but the ’Cats surrendered the final point on a service error as Indiana took the set 25-20.
NU returns home this Friday to host Illinois.
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