No matter what setbacks Northwestern faced in Tuesday night’s home opener against Valparaiso — dropping the first two sets, staring down a five-point deficit early in the fourth set or facing a four-point hole late in the fifth — the Wildcats (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten) refused to go quietly in a gutsy 21-25, 23-25, 26-24, 25-23, 15-13 win.
Junior outside hitter Campbell Paris led NU with 17 kills while senior outside hitter and 2024 kill leader Buse Hazan made her full return to the NU rotation, notching nine kills. The match highlighted NU’s newfound depth at outside hitter, as five outsides racked up at least nine kills in addition to a career-best 43 assists from senior setter Lauren Carter.
Second-year coach Tim Nollan’s ability to rotate effectively kept his team fresh down the stretch, allowing them to come back from the brink time and time again.
The Beacons (4-3, 0-0 Missouri Valley) proved an even match in their first-ever trip to Evanston, taking the first two sets thanks to a steadfast defensive structure. 6-foot-6 Valparaiso middle blocker Jessica Pickett denied the ’Cats constantly at the net while her teammate, Lilly Merk, went for a career-high 12 blocks.
Add in Valparaiso right-side hitter Ava Helming posting a career-high and game-leading 21 kills, and the visitors looked every bit like a program that had made seven NCAA tournament appearances under veteran head coach Carin Avery. And, with the third set tied 24-24, the Beacons were two points away from returning home to the other side of Chicagoland early.
But kills from senior outside hitter Rylen Reid and junior outside hitter Lily Wagner kept NU alive. The Beacons jumped out to a 6-1 lead early in the fourth set before two fortuitous aces from junior defensive specialist Gigi Navarette fueled a 9-2 NU blitz, forcing the match to a final set.
Four errors to open the fifth set dug the hosts into a 6-2 hole that inched to a 12-8 deficit. Scoring points by committee once again, an ace by graduate student outside hitter Ayah Elnady was followed by an emphatic Paris kill and punctuated with a mammoth block on Valparaiso’s Pickett by graduate student middle blocker Bella Simkus.
NU finished the match on a 7-1 scoring run as Valparaiso’s thinner roster lost its defensive shape.
Just six games deep in a fresh campaign, the hosts matched their five 2024 wins with their fifth win of the 2025 season Tuesday night. NU will travel to the Buffalo Classic this Friday and Saturday for games against Buffalo, Niagara and Cornell.
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