Wildcats Take it to Five Sets Against Maryland

After a dramatic five-set battle at Welsh-Ryan Arena Wednesday night, Northwestern fell to Maryland 3-2.
 
First-year Temi Thomas-Ailara led the team in kills for the 18th straight game, tallying up 17 on the night. She also posted two aces and 10 digs.
 
Junior Alana Walker and sophomore Ella Grbac also topped Northwestern's score sheet. Walker and Grbac proved their offensive power with double-digit games, registering 14 kills each, a new season high for Walker. Sophomore Kiara McNulty recorded her own season high with two aces.
 
Northwestern started out strong in set one, taking the victory over Maryland 25-22. Thomas-Ailara tallied up two service aces and first-year Charlotte Cronister added another to help the Wildcats top the Terrapins in their first victory of the match.
 
After a tightly contested second set, Maryland tied up the match with a 25-22 win. Thomas-Ailara reached double-digit kills for the 18th game in a row in set two. The Wildcats struggled to regain their momentum from the first set and dropped the third set to Maryland, 25-16.
 
The Wildcats put up a dominant performance in the fourth set, forcing set five with a 25-20 victory. Despite a close battle throughout the last set, Northwestern fell 15-7 in set five.
 
The Wildcats return to the court on Sunday as they travel to Piscataway, N.J. to take on another Big Ten opponent, Rutgers.