Northwestern Puts Scare Into No. 3 Wisconsin

11/12/2016 10:56:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Box Score | Season Stats

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern took No. 3 Wisconsin to five sets on Saturday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena but lost in a thriller, 3-2.

The 'Cats outhit the Badgers .291 to .217 and rolled through the first two sets. Wisconsin came back to win the next three despite a valiant effort from Northwestern.

"The fight in our team is the culture of the program we have been trying to build since day one," head coach Shane Davis said. "After we were up 2-0 and playing well, you realize that it is fun to work hard and execute. We have to keep sending that message and keep working."

Junior Symone Abbott had a night to remember, registering a career-high 26 kills on a career-high 72 attempts. She finished with a .319 hitting percentage, her best in Big Ten play this season.

"Symone Abbott – I feel like she was the best player in the gym," Davis said. "She did it from the left side, back row, jump-served well and even blocked too."

Taylor Tashima also turned in one of her best-ever performances with a career-high 61 assists and 13 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. She also recorded the second highest single-match assist total in program history since 2008, when volleyball moved to 25-point sets. Senior Caleigh Ryan holds the top distinction with 67 assists against Purdue in 2013.

Tashima spread out a balanced offense, as four players notched double-digit kills. Seniors Sofia Lavin and Maddie Slater both racked up 13, while Kayla Morin added 10 kills of her own. Slater's .360 hitting percentage on the night helped her quest to finish her career with the all-time highest hitting percentage in program history.

Gabrielle Hazen had a special match as well, as she tied her career-high with eight blocks, which she set last year against Michigan State. She added nine kills on an impressive .529 hitting.

Freshman Sarah Johnson unquestionably had the best game of her young career with a career-high 29 digs, the highest single-game total of any Wildcat this season. Redshirt-freshman Kaitlin Tavarez contributed 10 digs as well.

The Wildcats bested Wisconsin in points, kills, assists and blocks, and dominated for much of the night Saturday. They were ultimately done in by their 17 service errors, compared to just three for the Badgers.

Northwestern brought its best volleyball of the season in the first set, and outlasted Wisconsin 27-25 on the second set point. Lavin had five kills and Johnson picked up 11 digs in the first frame.

The 'Cats continued to roll in the second set, outhitting the Badgers .342 to .000 en-route to a 25-18 win. Wisconsin came out of the break with renewed energy and eked out the third set, 25-21.

NU had chances to break open the fourth set but fell in another close one, 25-22. In the decisive fifth set, Wisconsin took an early lead and held on to win, 15-11.

"I was proud of the way we competed start to finish," Davis said. "Even when we were trailing in some of those sets, we battled back. I was really proud of how we played and our execution of the game plan."

Chicago's Big Ten Team is back in action tomorrow at Welsh Ryan Arena against another top foe, when it faces No. 2 Minnesota at 7 p.m. The match will be streamed live on BTN Plus.