Volleyball Recap: A rough long weekend for the Wildcats

In need of a couple of big-time wins to turn their season around, the Wildcats were unable to get it done, falling further down the Big Ten standings.

Northwestern volleyball is now firmly falling down the rabbit hole.

Heading into their Thursday night matchup against Ohio State, the Wildcats had been struggling for a good while, without a win since their five-set victory over Maryland on September 26th (good for their only conference win of the season thus far). On a three-game losing skid, the ‘Cats were in a desperate search to get back in the win column and revive their underwhelming season.

A 7 p.m. bout in Evanston began NU’s search for victory, and the first set showed some promise. A back and forth battle looked like it could go anybody’s way, but four straight points, ending with an ace from Olivia Hasbrook, gave the Buckeyes a huge 25-23 first-set victory to set the tone for the game.

The second set was a similar story, with Northwestern holding its own early on. But another Buckeye five-point run put the game practically out of reach for the ‘Cats, with OSU getting out to a nine-point lead and holding it. The visitors cruised, winning the second set 25-16 and putting Wildcat head coach Tim Nollan and company in danger of getting run out of the gym in just three sets.

NU put behind a tough first two sets, showing a lot of fight with their backs against the wall. They responded to an early Ohio State lead by going on a 5-2 run, and then again went on a four-point run to tie things up at 23. After trading points, the Bucks clutched up in the final frame, capitalizing on a Lily Wagner attack error and then ending things with another service ace from Emily Londot. Star setter Alexa Rousseau was the silver lining for the Wildcats, leading the team in kills (nine) and digs (17), and tallying 10 assists.

Following a tough loss at home, the Wildcats had to travel into enemy territory for an even fiercer matchup against No. 9 Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon.

Set one was nothing less than a complete blowout for Badger Nation. After Northwestern stole the first two points of the set, Wisconsin went on a huge run, quickly jumping out to an 10-4 lead and never looking back. Wisconsin’s frontline firepower proved far too much for the Wildcats, with the Badgers tallying three or more consecutive points three times in the set. The offensive attack barraged Northwestern late, allowing Wisconsin to cruise to a 25-16 victory and jump out to a 1-0 lead.

The Wildcats seemed to gather themselves after that, as the second set was far more competitive. Both sides traded points back and forth, with neither gaining more than a two point advantage for a majority of the set. But just as things were looking good for Northwestern, the Badgers stormed back with six straight points to go up 22-19, headlined by two fierce kills from Anna Smrek. Despite a Northwestern rally, Wisconsin would hold on to win the second set 25-23 and put themselves in perfect position for a comfortable 3-0 set victory.

The third set reestablished Badger dominance over the Wildcats, as a tight battle early on would unravel for Northwestern. Kill after kill for Wisconsin put the ‘Cats in a hole they just couldn’t claw their way out of, and the Wildcats never got closer than two points down in the back half of the set. Wisconsin’s top-end talent was just too much, leading to a third set defeat for Northwestern by a score of 25-20. Rousseau again looked like the Wildcats’ best player on the court, but Sophia Summers chipped in as well with three aces and four blocks, both of which led the team that day.

After another loss in Madison, Northwestern volleyball falls to 3-11 and 1-5 in Big Ten play, placing them third-to-last in the conference. The ‘Cats will again look to turn things around with home bouts against Iowa (Wednesday at 8 p.m.) and UCLA (Sunday at 1 p.m.) coming up later this week.