Northwestern
6-9,1-3Big Ten
#7 Minnesota
8-4,3-1Big Ten
'Cats Take Two Sets off Minnesota
10/2/2021 10:13:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
EVANSTON, Ill. – In a strong showing Northwestern took two sets off No. 7 Minnesota for the first time since 2014, but ultimately dropped the match 3-2.
It was a block party in Welsh-Ryan as the 'Cats came up with a whopping 17 stuffs at the net, compared to just 13 from the Gophers. Ella Grbac and Tatyana Hardwick posted six apiece, Temi Thomas-Ailara following with four of her own.
Thomas-Ailara was a stalwart of Northwestern's frontline and backline. Earning another double-double she led the offense with 21 kills and was just one behind Megan Miller with 16 digs on the night.
Alexa Rousseau had herself a night once again, with 44 assists and two aces. Meanwhile Natalie Chizzo saw the court for the first time in a Big Ten match, grabbing two kills and two blocks to raucous cheers from another large crowd in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Minnesota got off to an early lead, but Northwestern rattled off a 6-0 run with Miller at the service line fueled by two big blocks from Grbac. The Gophers managed to grab one point before Northwestern ran away with it again and built a six point lead. A balanced effort from the Wildcat offense kept Minnesota at bay and Northwestern won the first set 26-24.
Northwestern found another 6-0 run in the second half and built a monstrous eight point advantage early, forcing the Gophers to take both of their timeouts. The 'Cats took that momentum with them, winning several long rallies. Lesiak came up with a couple huge kills and took the set out of Minnesota's reach. The Wildcats got off to a 2-0 lead with a 25-19 win in set two.
Minnesota woke up in the third set taking a huge lead of their own. Northwestern was unable to make up the difference and the Gophers finally got on the board. Battling from behind in the fourth set, Thomas-Ailara came up with two huge kills to keep the Wildcats alive. The Gophers tied things up with a 31-29 win in the third set after a grueling battle for match-point.
The 'Cats fell behind early in the fifth set and were unable to recover, dropping the match 3-2. Northwestern will leave Welsh-Ryan for a four-game road trip, starting with Maryland next Friday at 6 p.m.
