CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Northwestern took Illinois to five sets on Saturday, eventually falling to the Illini in a tight road contest.
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Temi Thomas-Ailara tied the game-high with 19 kills, while Leilani Dodson and Hanna Lesiak also posted double-digit kills with 10 each. Alexa Rousseau and Kiara McNulty split the setting duties for Northwestern, collecting 24 and 18 assists each.Â
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After opening with an 8-3 run, the Wildcats held on to a 25-23 victory in the first set. Illinois picked up the next two sets, forcing a must-win fourth set for Northwestern.
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The 'Cats battled back from a 5-1 deficit to win an extremely tight fourth set, forcing a winner-take-all fifth set. From 5-3 to 22-20, neither team led by more than two points in the back-and-forth affair. Thomas-Ailara tallied six kills in the set, while Hanna Lesiak picked up four kills.
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Northwestern fell behind early in the fifth set and could not recover, dropping the final set 15-9. Â
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The Wildcats will continue Big Ten play next weekend as they welcome Rutgers and Minnesota to Welsh-Ryan Arena. The 'Cats take on Rutgers at 7 p.m. CT on Friday and Minnesota at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
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Temi Thomas-Ailara tied the game-high with 19 kills, while Leilani Dodson and Hanna Lesiak also posted double-digit kills with 10 each. Alexa Rousseau and Kiara McNulty split the setting duties for Northwestern, collecting 24 and 18 assists each.Â
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After opening with an 8-3 run, the Wildcats held on to a 25-23 victory in the first set. Illinois picked up the next two sets, forcing a must-win fourth set for Northwestern.
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The 'Cats battled back from a 5-1 deficit to win an extremely tight fourth set, forcing a winner-take-all fifth set. From 5-3 to 22-20, neither team led by more than two points in the back-and-forth affair. Thomas-Ailara tallied six kills in the set, while Hanna Lesiak picked up four kills.
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Northwestern fell behind early in the fifth set and could not recover, dropping the final set 15-9. Â
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The Wildcats will continue Big Ten play next weekend as they welcome Rutgers and Minnesota to Welsh-Ryan Arena. The 'Cats take on Rutgers at 7 p.m. CT on Friday and Minnesota at 7 p.m. on Saturday.