Saturday, September 30
University Park, Pa.
6:30 p.m.
Northwestern
11-5, 1-3
0
at
3
Penn State
13-1, 3-1
1
2
3
F
Northwestern
24
14
14
0
Penn State
26
25
25
3
#B1GCats Split Weekend Matches, Fall to No. 3 Penn State
9/30/2017 7:59:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Northwestern (11-5, 1-3 Big Ten) dropped the second half of their Big Ten weekend jaunt, falling to No. 3 Penn State (13-1, 3-1 Big Ten) in three sets at Rec Hall.
Senior setter Taylor Tashima, who came into the match with the fifth-best assists per set mark in the conference, finished with 31 assists, which moved her into sole possession of fourth place in the all-time mark in program history, surpassing Jeanne Wohlberg, who played for the Wildcats from 1991 to 1994.
Senior outside hitter Symone Abbott, the Big Ten's kills per set leader, recorded her 10th-straight match with double-digit kills, finishing with 12. Senior middle blocker Gabrielle Hazen led the squad with her .500 hitting percentage, picking up six kills on 10 attempts.
Northwestern posted its second-best hitting percentage of the young conference slate in the setback, trailing only its season-high mark of .485 from its sweep of Rutgers on Friday.
The Wildcats battled Penn State to a 26-24 set loss in the match opener, performing on the back of Abbott's seven kills on 14 swings. As a unit, the #B1GCats mounted a .244 hitting percentage, but were felled by the .375 output of Penn State.
NU showed tremendous resiliency in the first set. After taking a 22-20 lead over the Nittany Lions, the 'Cats saw their lead slip. With Penn State facing their first set point, first year outside hitter Nia Robinson picked up her sixth kill of the match to even the score at 24 points apiece.
The first set was déjà vu for the Wildcats, as they dropped their match opener to the Nittany Lions by two points the last time NU visited Happy Valley, in the penultimate match of 2016.
Chicago's Big Ten Team ran into more of a challenge against the nation's third-ranked team in the second set. With Penn State leading 10-8, the Nittany Lions rattled off eight unanswered points. NU showed some offensive firepower, but dropped the set, 25-14.
Northwestern put up similar offensive numbers in the second set, only hitting 11 points lower than their clip in the match opener. However, Penn State mounted a superior offensive attack, notching a .607 hitting percentage while not committing an error.
The Purple and White was unable to mount a sufficient offensive push in the set finale, recording only eight kills on 25 attacks. Penn State won, 25-14.
Fresh off wrapping up this weekend conference split, NU returns to Evanston for a four-match home-stand. The Wildcats will play Indiana on Friday, Oct. 6, and then No. 19 Purdue on Sunday, Oct. 8. Both matches will be held at Evanston Township High School's historic Beardsley Gym. After that, NU will host Maryland on Oct. 13 and Ohio State on Oct. 14, with both matches held at DePaul University's McGrath-Phillips Arena due to a scheduling conflict at Beardsley Gym.
Senior setter Taylor Tashima, who came into the match with the fifth-best assists per set mark in the conference, finished with 31 assists, which moved her into sole possession of fourth place in the all-time mark in program history, surpassing Jeanne Wohlberg, who played for the Wildcats from 1991 to 1994.
2?? | Congratulations to @tayytash on moving past Jeanne Wohlberg (1991-94) in all-time assists at Northwestern! #B1GCats pic.twitter.com/YFC7uQ3KLp
— NU Volleyball (@NUVball) October 1, 2017
Senior outside hitter Symone Abbott, the Big Ten's kills per set leader, recorded her 10th-straight match with double-digit kills, finishing with 12. Senior middle blocker Gabrielle Hazen led the squad with her .500 hitting percentage, picking up six kills on 10 attempts.
Northwestern posted its second-best hitting percentage of the young conference slate in the setback, trailing only its season-high mark of .485 from its sweep of Rutgers on Friday.
The Wildcats battled Penn State to a 26-24 set loss in the match opener, performing on the back of Abbott's seven kills on 14 swings. As a unit, the #B1GCats mounted a .244 hitting percentage, but were felled by the .375 output of Penn State.
NU showed tremendous resiliency in the first set. After taking a 22-20 lead over the Nittany Lions, the 'Cats saw their lead slip. With Penn State facing their first set point, first year outside hitter Nia Robinson picked up her sixth kill of the match to even the score at 24 points apiece.
The first set was déjà vu for the Wildcats, as they dropped their match opener to the Nittany Lions by two points the last time NU visited Happy Valley, in the penultimate match of 2016.
Chicago's Big Ten Team ran into more of a challenge against the nation's third-ranked team in the second set. With Penn State leading 10-8, the Nittany Lions rattled off eight unanswered points. NU showed some offensive firepower, but dropped the set, 25-14.
Northwestern put up similar offensive numbers in the second set, only hitting 11 points lower than their clip in the match opener. However, Penn State mounted a superior offensive attack, notching a .607 hitting percentage while not committing an error.
The Purple and White was unable to mount a sufficient offensive push in the set finale, recording only eight kills on 25 attacks. Penn State won, 25-14.
Fresh off wrapping up this weekend conference split, NU returns to Evanston for a four-match home-stand. The Wildcats will play Indiana on Friday, Oct. 6, and then No. 19 Purdue on Sunday, Oct. 8. Both matches will be held at Evanston Township High School's historic Beardsley Gym. After that, NU will host Maryland on Oct. 13 and Ohio State on Oct. 14, with both matches held at DePaul University's McGrath-Phillips Arena due to a scheduling conflict at Beardsley Gym.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
Team Stats
NU
PSU
Kills
38
48
Errors
19
7
Attempts
96
83
Hitting %
.198
.494
Points
45.0
60.0
Assists
37
43
Aces
3
3
Blocks
4.0
9.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballVolleyball - Wildcats Sweep Campbell to Close Non-Conference Play (9/20/2025)
Sunday, September 21
Volleyball - 'Cats Defeat Valparaiso in Home Opener Reverse Sweep (9/9/2025)
Wednesday, September 10
Volleyball - Tim Nollan, Sienna Noordemeer, and Ayah Elnady at Big Ten Media Days (7/28/25)
Monday, July 28
Volleyball - 'Cats Down Hawkeyes 3-1 To Secure Season Sweep (11/10/24)
Monday, November 11
