Friday, October 7
Evanston, Ill.
7 p.m. CT
Northwestern
vs
Rutgers
Photo by: Stephen J. Carrera
NU Volleyball Hosts Rutgers to Begin Weekend
10/6/2022 7:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
| NORTHWESTERN VOLLEYBALL: GAME INFORMATION | |||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | WATCH | LIVE STATS |
| Friday, October 7 | Rutgers | 7 p.m. CT | Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Ill. |
B1G+ | Live Stats |
| Sunday, October 9 | No. 6 Ohio State | Noon p.m. CT | Covelli Center Columbus, Ohio |
B1G+ | Live Stats |
| Social: Twitter: @NUVball | Instagram: @nuvball | |||||
EVANSTON, Ill. – The Northwestern Volleyball team embarks on its third week of Big Ten play with a pair of matches this weekend. Rutgers comes to Welsh-Ryan Arena for a 7 p.m. CT tilt on Friday, Oct. 7. The Wildcats (12-4, 1-3 B1G) will travel to No. 6 Ohio State at Noon CT on Sunday, Oct. 9. Both matches will air on B1G+.
Last Time Out
Northwestern split its pair of matches last weekend, falling to Michigan 3-1 at home and upsetting then-No. 7 Minnesota in Minneapolis for the program's first road win over a top 10 opponent. The historic victory snapped the Golden Gophers 13 match win streak in the series and marked the program's first win in the Twin Cities since 2005. Temi Thomas-Ailara led the way recording 17 kills, while Hanna Lesiak contributed 11 kills and 13 digs. Setter Alexa Rousseay dished out a season-high 52assists.
The 'Cats nearly forced a fifth set, but fell in the conference home opener to the Wolverines, who were receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll. After dropping the first two sets, NU rallied for a 25-22 set three victory and held a 22-17 lead in the fourth, but could not hold on, falling 27-25.
Dynamic Duo
A pair of Wildcats took home Big Ten Conference weekly honors as Rousseau grabbed Setter of the Week recognition for the second time this season and libero Megan Miller earned Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career. Rousseau averaged 10.67 assists per set, logging over 40+ helpers in both matches. Miller recorded 4.78 digs per set and had 20+ digs in both matches. She is the first Northwestern student-athlete to win defensive weekly honors since Caroline Niedospial on Sept. 15, 2014.
'Cat Facts
- The Wildcats rank third in the Big Ten, registering a .266 hitting percentage.
- Rousseau is averaging 10.10 assists per set this season, the fourth-best mark in the league. Her 586 total assists lead the conference.
- Thomas-Ailara is fourth in the conference averaging 3.88 kills per set.
- Northwestern's 12 wins this season already matches its total from last year.
Opposition Position
Northwestern holds a commanding 10-1 all-time record in the series against Rutgers. The Scarlett Knights won 3-2 on Oct. 17, 2019 in Piscataway, their only win in the series, and the only time they have ever won a set against Northwestern. The Wildcats have won the last four matches and are 7-0 inside Welsh-Ryan Arena. Rutgers is 7-9 and 1-3 in B1G play and have dropped five of their last six contests.
Ohio State is 57-23 all-time against Northwestern, but the Wildcats have won three of the last four meetings. The Buckeyes won last year's lone meeting 3-1 in Evanston. OSU is 3-1 in league and 7-5, overall and have played a tough schedule, beginning the season playing six consecutive top 15 opponents.
Northwestern returns to Welsh-Ryan Arena for a 7 p.m. CT tilt on Friday, Oct. 14 against Maryland.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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