Northwestern Powers Past Buffalo in Straight Sets

8/27/2016 12:20:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Box Score | Season Statistics

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Northwestern offense rolled right along Saturday morning with seven players recording kills, and the Wildcats beat Buffalo in their second straight sweep to begin the season.

"It means a lot to come in and play two quality teams and sweep them," head coach Shane Davis said. "It shows consistency with the group and a good level of play throughout the match."

Symone Abbott led the way once again with 14 kills on 20 attempts, giving her another hitting performance above .500. Kayla Morin notched eight, and Gabrielle Hazen and Sofia Lavin had seven.

Northwestern has had three players hit over .500 in both of its matches so far this year.

"If we can be in our system 70 percent of the time, it allows our four attackers to come at three blockers, which gives us an advantage," Davis said. "We are still trying to understand and get a grasp of our systems, but as we develop our relationships on the court, we will continue to get better and better."

The defense was also a major factor in the match, as Northwestern held Buffalo to a .108 hitting percentage, while recording six blocks and out-digging the Bulls, 36-27.

Taylor Tashima continued her torrid assist pace, registering another 33 to give her an average of 12.2 per set through two matches. She was all over the court, notching five digs, three aces, three kills and a block to go with her assists.

Chicago's Big Ten Team used big runs in each set to win comfortably. The Wildcats opened the match on a 14-5 run and went on a 14-4 stretch in the second frame to effectively put Buffalo away. Then, in a tight third set, Northwestern ended the match on a 9-2 run to finish it off.

A battle of unbeatens will commence tonight with Northwestern and Virginia meeting at 6 p.m. CT to decide the winner of the Cavalier Classic.