Northwestern dropped its Friday match against No. 3 Penn State but bounced back against Iowa on Sunday.
After hosting No. 2 Nebraska on Nov. 3, the Wildcats (5-17, 3-11 Big Ten) faced another top-five opponent in the Nittany Lions (23-2, 13-1 Big Ten), ultimately losing 3-1.
In NU’s loss, junior outside hitter Buse Hazan led the attack with a team-high 19 kills, while graduate student setter Alexa Rousseau recorded 23 assists. Junior middle blocker Kennedy Hill had three service aces and six total blocks, and sophomore libero Drew Wright grounded the defense with 16 digs.
The ’Cats found themselves in a hole early in the first set, trailing 4-1 and later 12-5 off numerous Penn State kills. They rallied back to break even at 19-19 and finish off the set, winning 25-23 on a Penn State attack error.
NU continued to play a close match through most of the second set, led by two service aces from Hill. Despite starting the set with a 5-1 lead, the ’Cats later surrendered a 14-5 run, putting them in a 21-13 hole. Multiple kills by junior outside hitter Rylen Reid slowed the Nittany Lions’ momentum, but the set went to Penn State by a score of 25-18.
The loss of the second set didn’t stop the ’Cats from keeping the game close.
NU and Penn State went back and forth, with the score being tied 13 times before either team could get to 25 points. The ’Cats were led by Hazan, who had seven of her 19 kills in the third set. NU had the chance to take a 2-1 set lead, but after a Hill service error, Penn State silenced the crowd and won the third of three set points to take the set 29-27.
In the fourth set, Hazan and Reid kept up the attack, pushing the ’Cats ahead 17-14. They didn’t stop until the end, trailing only 22-21 after more kills from the two. In the end, NU dropped the final set by a score of 25-21, their performance providing a small victory considering the stature of their opponent.
The ’Cats headed on the road Sunday to Iowa City, where they took the win in a competitive match. The Hawkeyes (9-17, 3-11 Big Ten) looked to split the season series after losing the previous meeting 3-1.
In NU’s win, Rousseau notched a double-double with 11 kills and 20 assists, while Hill added 11 blocks and 11 kills. Wright led the team with 12 digs, and six players recorded at least one service ace.
In the first set, Iowa got out to a hot start, where it took a 2-1 lead and did not trail until two Reid service aces equalized the score. NU finished it off with a kill from Hazan and a block from Hill and junior outside hitter Kathryn Randorf, as they claimed the set 25-23.
In the second set, the ‘Cats continued where they left off, battling back and forth to a slim 9-8 lead, where Iowa went on an 8-0 scoring run to put them up 16-9. The set was essentially over at that point, with NU winning just six more points before dropping the set 25-15.
Things took a turn for the better as the ‘Cats stormed into the third set.
Service aces by three NU players and more kills from Hill and Hazan propelled the ’Cats to a 15-12 lead, a lead which they would hold for the entire set. After numerous errors from the Hawkeyes and kills from Hill and Reid, NU claimed the third set by a score of 25-18.
The fourth set saw much of the same offensive prowess for the ’Cats although Iowa would not let them pull away, with the teams knotted up 9-9 early on. But after a timeout from the Hawkeyes, NU would put the pedal to the metal, taking the lead at 10-9 and never looking back. The ’Cats won the final set 25-18, completing the season sweep of their Big Ten opponent.
The ’Cats continue Big Ten competition on Friday at No. 12 Oregon.
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