With her team trailing Northwestern 13-12 in the third set and the match knotted at one set all, Indiana libero Avery Freeman struck a low, line-drive serve that clipped the top of the net and dropped meekly over for an ace.
Just as the net tape absorbed the ball’s velocity and killed it dead on the spot, it also seemed to sap the energy out of Welsh-Ryan Arena and bring the Wildcats’ (10-3, 0-1 Big Ten) impending upset bid to a grinding halt.
Having led the entire set up to that point, NU never recovered, ultimately dropping its Big Ten opener 25-22, 16-25, 25-19, 25-18 to a relentless Hoosiers (10-1, 1-0 Big Ten) team Wednesday.
“It’s just another night in the Big Ten,” coach Tim Nollan said post-match.
The ’Cats started off toe-to-toe with Indiana, with the match at a noticeably higher intensity level than their previous two non-conference home contests.
Indiana went on an early 6-0 run to lead 11-6, but NU hung around. When junior outside hitter Campbell Paris claimed a kill at the end of a marathon rally, the ’Cats levelled the score at 17-17. Freshman libero Lauren Dignan’s ace on the next point gave NU the lead and forced a Hoosiers timeout.
At 18-18, Nollan won a challenge after a Paris block landed wide of the right sideline, but following video review, the referees determined the ball had touched an Indiana player. What could have been a decisive call proved trivial, however, as the Hoosiers accelerated from that point on.
On set point, senior outside hitter Rylen Reid had a spike attempt blocked, and Indiana took the opener 25-22.
The second set began with a markedly different tone. Reid earned three kills in the first seven points to keep NU afloat, before a pair of Hoosier passing miscommunications gave fuel to an 8-2 ’Cats run that put them ahead 11-5.
NU kept Indiana at arm’s length the rest of the way, never allowing the visitors to come within four again. A kill by freshman middle blocker Kayla Kauffman with the ’Cats leading 24-16 levelled the match.
“We played really clean in that second set — served well, attacked really efficiently,” Nollan said.
The early stages of the third set brought more of the same ’Cats dominance. Indiana made a service error on the very first point, and NU’s smooth attacking play propelled it to an 8-3 lead.
By the time of the net cord’s fateful blow, NU’s spark had already begun to dim, as defensive communications and missed attacking opportunities creeped into its game. Still, that moment accelerated its demise.
With the set level at 13-13, Kauffman sent a spike well wide, and then Reid misconnected on a routine return of serve. The ’Cats looked out of sorts.
“Our serve receive broke down,” Nollan said. “They had that trickle over ace where the ball hits the top of the tape and rolls over, and then we had a tough time passing the ball for a little spurt in the middle there, and that allowed them to catch us.”
If Freeman’s fortuitous ace was a turning point, the rally at 20-17 was a killer blow to NU’s spirits. The ’Cats played a spectacular defensive point, with Dignan pulling off multiple improbable reflex digs and junior libero Drew Wright running several feet behind the baseline to retrieve a ball on two occasions. But, as an Indiana spike flew long, the referee ruled it had taken a miniscule touch off graduate student middle blocker Bella Simkus.
The Hoosiers’ advantage remained comfortable from there, and they took the set 25-19.
Indiana continued to ascend in the fourth, as two early NU passing errors propelled it to a 5-0 run to put it ahead 8-4. The Hoosiers led the rest of the way, and on match point, a Reid spike hit the left antenna.
Reid led the ’Cats with 16 kills, her 11th double-digit kill performance of the season in 12 matches played.
Three NU freshmen made major impacts in their first Big Ten matches. Dignan tallied a match-high 13 digs, Kauffman led the team in kill percentage at .556 and freshman outside hitter Bella Bullington notched nine kills.
“I thought they were really poised early,” Nollan said of his three conference debutants. “I thought they embraced it… watching them go out there tonight in their first Big Ten match and contribute and have positive effects on the game is awesome to see.”
NU returns to Welsh-Ryan Arena Sunday to face Oregon, looking to get back on track in conference play. Nollan said he hopes the team takes away important lessons from its opening defeat.
“I think we need to do a little bit better job when we have chances to push and finish, to execute in those moments,” he said. “But I think it’s definitely something we can build off.”
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