Saturday, October 23
Evanston, Ill.
7 p.m. CT
Northwestern
9-12,4-6Big Ten
3
vs
1
Iowa
2-18,0-10Big Ten
1
2
3
4
F
Iowa
13
23
25
17
1
Northwestern
25
25
13
25
3
'Cats Bounce Back Against Iowa
10/24/2021 6:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Evanston, IL - Northwestern Volleyball took down Iowa in four sets on Saturday night, sweeping the season series from the Hawkeyes behind 14 kills from Temi Thomas-Ailara and five blocks from Leilani Dodson.
The Wildcats began the game with their foot on the gas, jumping out to a 10-0 lead in the first set, including a nine-point service run from Megan Miller that saw the senior collect three aces. Miller would end the night with four service aces to lead Northwestern.
On offense, the 'Cats leaned on Thomas-Ailara as they looked to grab their fourth Big Ten win of the season. The junior has put down at least 10 kills in every match this season and was a force against the Hawkeyes. In addition to leading the team in kills, Thomas-Ailara finished among the top-three Wildcats in blocks (4) and aces (3) on Saturday night.
Dodson and Hanna Lesiak were also a big part of the Northwestern offense on Saturday, combining for 22 kills to keep the 'Cats on schedule. At the net, Dodon and Thomas-Ailara helped shut down the Hawkeyes throughout the night, with Ella Grbac adding three blocks.
Iowa stayed alived with a victory in the third set, before another quick start in the fourth set helped put the 'Cats back on the winning path. A 5-3 lead ballooned into a 13-5 edge for the Wildcats, with Thomas-Ailara and Dodson combining for six points in the 8-2 Northwestern run.
After her service run opened the scoring for the Wildcats in the first set, Miller was back on serve for the winning point as Northwestern closed out Iowa in the fourth set.
Chicago's Big Ten Team will hit the road for a pair of matches against Purdue and Indiana, before returning to Welsh-Ryan Arena on November 5 against Wisconsin.
The Wildcats began the game with their foot on the gas, jumping out to a 10-0 lead in the first set, including a nine-point service run from Megan Miller that saw the senior collect three aces. Miller would end the night with four service aces to lead Northwestern.
On offense, the 'Cats leaned on Thomas-Ailara as they looked to grab their fourth Big Ten win of the season. The junior has put down at least 10 kills in every match this season and was a force against the Hawkeyes. In addition to leading the team in kills, Thomas-Ailara finished among the top-three Wildcats in blocks (4) and aces (3) on Saturday night.
Dodson and Hanna Lesiak were also a big part of the Northwestern offense on Saturday, combining for 22 kills to keep the 'Cats on schedule. At the net, Dodon and Thomas-Ailara helped shut down the Hawkeyes throughout the night, with Ella Grbac adding three blocks.
Iowa stayed alived with a victory in the third set, before another quick start in the fourth set helped put the 'Cats back on the winning path. A 5-3 lead ballooned into a 13-5 edge for the Wildcats, with Thomas-Ailara and Dodson combining for six points in the 8-2 Northwestern run.
After her service run opened the scoring for the Wildcats in the first set, Miller was back on serve for the winning point as Northwestern closed out Iowa in the fourth set.
Chicago's Big Ten Team will hit the road for a pair of matches against Purdue and Indiana, before returning to Welsh-Ryan Arena on November 5 against Wisconsin.
Team Stats
Iowa
NU
Kills
38
47
Errors
20
19
Attempts
110
119
Hitting %
.164
.235
Points
52
66
Assists
34
38
Aces
10
9
Blocks
4
10
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
14
Aces
3
Blocks
4
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
5
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/OPP
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballVolleyball - '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
Volleyball - 'Cats Take Down Hawkeyes at Home (10/16/24)
Thursday, October 17
