Hopefully the next time Northwestern faces a team from Indiana, it goes a bit better.
For a Northwestern squad searching for its first win of the young campaign, a home-and-home series with Notre Dame was not what the doctor ordered.
In match one against the Fighting Irish last Thursday, the ‘Cats lost 3-1 in their home-opener. Kathryn Randorf and Alexa Rousseau led NU’s offense with nine kills apiece, while Rousseau paced the ‘Cats with 15 digs and 17 assists for her fourth double-double of the season. Up front, Sophia Summers showcased her skills with six blocks in Tim Nollan’s Welsh-Ryan Arena debut.
Northwestern played well in set one, keeping things tight as the Fighting Irish tried to pull away. Trailing 6-2, a trio of Rylen Reid kills powered Northwestern to even the score. Despite facing a 22-18 deficit later on, Northwestern used a couple Fighting Irish errors and a Buse Hazan ace to knot things again up 22-22. But Notre Dame’s Phynoa Schrader answered with a pair of kills to rally Notre Dame to a 25-22 set one victory.
In set two, Northwestern dominated after tying the set up 7-7. The ‘Cats rattled off 10 of the next 11 points to take firm control. Although Notre Dame answered by winning four of the next six, three consecutive Notre Dame attack errors boosted Northwestern to take seven of the set’s last nine points, with the ‘Cats cruising to a 25-14 win.
In sets three and four, Northwestern struggled against Notre Dame’s potent attack as its own offense faltered. The Fighting Irish hit .414 in set three and .371 in set four, while Northwestern’s .074 and .175 attack percentage in the final two sets hampered any hopes at a comeback. In set three, Northwestern never saw a lead, while a five point Notre Dame run after the ‘Cats trailed 15-13 shut the door on any hopes of a fifth set.
Northwestern traveled to South Bend looking for revenge. Yet it was all Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish swept the ‘Cats behind a scorching hot .389 hitting efficiency. On the bright side, Rylen Reid continued her strong start to 2024, leading the ‘Cats with a career-high 12 kills, the first time she’s ever finished a collegiate match with double-digit kills. On the defensive side, Gigi Navarrete led the ‘Cats with seven digs as Alexa Rousseau finished with a match-high 25 helpers.
Although Northwestern finished set one with 14 kills on .333 efficiency, Notre Dame’s offense couldn’t miss, pounding Northwestern’s defense for 19 kills on .389 efficiency. After going down 6-1, Northwestern chipped away to get within as close as three points, but the Fighting Irish prevailed 25-21 in the first set.
After surrendering the first point of set two, Northwestern never saw the lead, dropping the second set 25-19. It was the same story in set three as Notre Dame swept the ‘Cats with a 25-16 third set victory.
Still searching for that elusive first win, Northwestern returns home on Wednesday to start a Wednesday-Friday home-and-home series with Northern Illinois. First serve from Welsh-Ryan Arena is set for 7 p.m. CST.