Abbott’s 15 Kills Pace Wildcats Against No. 18 Michigan

10/12/2016 8:19:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

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EVANSTON, Ill. – Junior outside hitter Symone Abbott kept up her blistering pace with a match-high 15 kills Wednesday night against No. 18 Michigan at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

"Symone is working hard in the gym, and we had good results tonight," head coach Shane Davis said. "She has been hitting different angles and working the block, and she has been getting out of her comfort zone."

Abbott ranked third in the Big Ten entering Wednesday in kills per set with 4.06. She notched five per set against Michigan and was a thorn in the Wolverines' side the entire match.

"Tonight I knew I had the ability to put the ball down," Abbott said. "It helped my confidence a lot and reassured that I [can] do this."

The Wildcats lost to the Wolverines in three sets.

Taylor Tashima handed out 27 assists and recorded nine digs for the Wildcats, while Maddie Slater notched five kills with a .417 hitting percentage. Slater continues to be on pace to set the program record for career hitting percentage with her .314 mark. The record currently stands at .313.

Rafae Strobos started at libero for Northwestern for the third match in a row. She notched a team-high 10 digs for her fifth double-digit dig game of the season. Eight Wildcats recorded digs overall.

Abbott paced Northwestern in the first set with seven kills as Northwestern hung tough with the Wolverines until the visitors pulled away at the end, 25-17. The 'Cats hit an impressive .310 in the second set but fell 25-18, and Michigan finished the third set 25-13 to take the match.

Northwestern is back in action on Saturday when it travels to Champaign, Ill. to face Illinois for the second time this season.