Volleyball Recap: ‘Cats roughed up in West Coast trip

Northwestern volleyball had a tough time adjusting to the Pacific Northwest this past weekend.

A West Coast road trip did not go as planned for the Wildcats as they received a harsh welcome from two new Big Ten opponents.

After a promising 3-1 win against Iowa on Nov. 10 that breathed life back into a program lacking much hope, Northwestern looked to keep its momentum going and pick up back-to-back victories for the first time since late September.

The ‘Cats began a pair of West Coast battles in Eugene on Friday night, where they faced off against a formidable No. 11 Oregon team sitting at 19-5 and 11-4 in conference play.

In the first set of the match, the Ducks flexed their muscle, swiftly taking back an early Wildcat lead and controlling much of the first set, winning 25-15 on a powerful kill from Noemie Glover via a setup from Cristin Cline.

Northwestern bounced back in set two, staying at Oregon’s hip for the entire set. Neither team was able to produce more than a two-point lead, up until the ‘Cats landed the knockout punch: down 22-21, NU notched four straight points to secure a set victory, capped by a beautiful kill by Buse Hazan that got past the blocks of two Oregon defenders. Two sets in, the Wildcats were in solid position to grab what would be a major upset.

Northwestern carried its momentum into the third set, winning the first three points with ease. But after the Ducks fought back fiercely, the Wildcats once again found themselves in a similar predicament: down 23-21, and just a couple plays away from either a set victory or defeat and a complete swing in control of the match.

Tim Nollan focused his squad, guiding them to three straight points and in control of their own fate, with set point and the serve. But a kill by U of O’s Michelle Ohwobete followed by a Kennedy Hill attack error quickly put the ‘Cats behind the eight ball. Hill made up for her error with a kill on the subsequent play, but it still wouldn’t be enough as Oregon won two straight points to secure a third set victory and put themselves in the driver’s seat for a win.

It was clear the air had come out of Northwestern’s tires after a heartbreaking third-set loss, as it quickly fell behind, down 12-5 early. NU made a respectable attempt at a comeback, even cutting the lead to just three at one point and looking to flip the script on the game once again.

However, the Ducks didn’t take long to crush those hopes, winning five of the next eight points and grabbing a 3-1 victory over Northwestern.

Hoping to avenge their tough loss against Oregon, the ‘Cats traveled to Seattle to clash with Washington.

The first set was very much a game of runs for both the Wildcats and Huskies, with each side grabbing points in bunches. An 8-1 run by UW ultimately decided the first set, though, putting Northwestern behind 22-14 and unable to do much of anything to come back.

Down a set, Northwestern was desperate to grab set two to keep things competitive. It seemed as though the ‘Cats had flipped a switch early, winning four straight points to jump out to an early 7-3 lead on a cheeky kill from Rylen Reid.

Washington would not go away, though, quickly storming back to tie things up and then trading points with the Wildcats nearly the remainder of the match. A kill by Elise Hani finally broke the streak and gave the Huskies a 25-23 set win to go up 2-0 in the match, now in the driver’s seat to win.

Looking to close things out with a shutout, Washington absolutely dominated, going on a 9-0 run to put itself up double-digits and all but seal the final set. From that point on, Northwestern was unable to even get within single digits of tying, eventually falling 25-14.

The ‘Cats move to 5-19 on the season and are 3-13 in conference play, currently sitting second-to-last in the Big Ten. A disappointing vacation out west will be followed up with a pair of home games against No. 23 USC on Thursday and Rutgers on Saturday as the ‘Cats near the end of their season.