Northwestern steamrolled a trio of upstate New York schools in a weekend road trip, dominating the Buffalo Classic against Buffalo, Niagara and Cornell.
Buffalo (3-4, 0-0 Mid-American) was the only opponent to take NU to five sets, but the Wildcats (9-1, 0-0 Big Ten) prevailed 28-26, 14-25, 25-11, 20-25, 15-13. The Bulls alternated set victories with the ’Cats through the first four and jumped out to a 9-6 lead in the pivotal fifth. A cross-court kill from freshman outside hitter Bella Bullington at 9-7 turned the tide, helping NU win the set 15-13.
Facing a Saturday doubleheader against Niagara (0-8, 0-0 Metro Atlantic) and Cornell (4-3, 0-0 Ivy League) to close out the Buffalo Classic, NU barely broke a sweat.
Even with second-year coach Tim Nollan resting his top two kill leaders, graduate student Ayah Elnady and senior outside hitter Rylen Reid, NU still swept Niagara 25-12, 25-23, 25-19.
The duo returned in the afternoon to deliver a combined 22 kills in a 25-22, 22-25, 25-16, 25-17 victory over Cornell. Bullington, Elnady and Reid ran up the score to 24-17 in the fourth set, and a rare set attack from senior setter Lauren Carter floated over the middle block to seal the win, marking Carter’s ninth kill of her 60-match career.
The three matches against weaker opponents gave Nollan the opportunity to test his depth, as many second-string Wildcats saw extended court time while starters rested.
Bullington continued her campaign to break into Nollan’s top lineup with a career-high 18 kills against Cornell and a team-leading 17 kills against Buffalo. Senior outside hitter Kathryn Randorf featured in three sets for the second time this season against Niagara, scoring a team-leading and season-high nine kills.
NU will face another test this weekend as they host the Northwestern Invitational at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The ’Cats will clash with St. Thomas (6-3, 0-0 Summit League) Friday evening before taking on Campbell (7-2, 0-0 Coastal Athletic) Saturday afternoon.
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