'Cats Look to Stay Hot Against #4 Nebraska and #6 Ohio State

NORTHWESTERN VOLLEYBALL: GAME INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	WATCH	LIVE STATS
Friday, November 4	#6 Ohio State	7 p.m. CT	Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Ill.	B1G+	Live Stats
Sunday, November 6	#4 Nebraska	1 p.m. CT	Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Ill.	B1G+	Live Stats
Social: Twitter: @NU Vball \| Instagram: @nuvball

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern looks to continue its four-match winning streak against a pair of top-10 teams as No. 6 Ohio State and No. 4 Nebraska make the trip to Evanston this weekend. The Wildcats will host Ohio State at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, Nov. 4 before welcoming Nebraska to Welsh-Ryan Arena on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 1 p.m. CT. Both matches will be streamed live on B1G+.

Last Time Out

The Wildcats (17-7, 6-6 B1G) took down No. 12 Purdue, 3-2, on Friday for their third win over a ranked opponent this season. Temi Thomas-Ailara put together her best performance of the year, leading the way with 25 kills on 52 swings for a .327 hitting percentage. She logged her third double-double of the year recording adding 10 digs. Kathryn Randorf and Hanna Lesiak each chipped in with 13 kills. First-year setter Sienna Noordermeer distributed a career-high 57 assists. Defensively, Megan Miller tied her career-high with 30 digs, while Kathryn Randorf added six blocks.

The 'Cats attack was once again paced by Temi Thomas-Ailara in Sunday's win over Iowa. The senior finished with 19 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .311 and Hanna Lesiak contributed 12 kills while hitting .391. Megan Miller posted a match-high 18 digs, while Ellee Stinson collected 10. Sienna Noordermeer dished out 41 assists, her third match with 40+ assists of her last four appearances.

The Wildcats claimed three Big Ten weekly awards after a dominant weekend. Thomas-Ailara was named Co-Big Ten Player of the Week for the third time this season, while Miller earned her second Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award of the season, and Noordermeer was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the first time.

'Cat Facts

Northwestern has won four-straight conference matches for the first time since 2011.
The 'Cats have defeated three ranked opponents in a season for the first time since 2013.
The 'Cats are averaging 17.62 points per set, trailing only Wisconsin (18.47) for the Big Ten lead.
The Wildcats rank second in the Big Ten, registering a .259 hitting percentage, only .002 off from Wisconsin's leading mark of .261.
Northwestern leads the Big Ten in assists per set (13.17) and ranks second with 14.01 kills per set.
Thomas-Ailara is third in the conference averaging 4.08 kills per set. Her 1,406 career kills are the second-most among active B1G players, trailing only Penn State's Kashauna Williams (1,448). Thomas-Ailara passed Jessica Holloway (1,396) in career kills to move into 10th place in program history. She is two kills away from tying Stacey Kammes (1989-92) for the ninth most in program history.
NU is 30th nationally in RPI.
Northwestern is 13-1 when hitting above .200. and 8-1 when recording nine or more blocks.
Northwestern received votes in this week's AVCA Coaches' Poll
The Wildcats 16 wins this season are the most in a year since 2018 (16-16).
Northwestern is 3-0 in five set matches this year and 3-0 on BTN.

Opposition Position

Ohio State and Nebraska are tied atop the Big Ten standings with 11-1 conference records. Ohio State is riding a 10-match win streak, while Nebraska was ranked No. 1 in the country before falling to Wisconsin last weekend.

Northwestern is 23-57 all-time against Ohio State, including a 3-2 record against the Buckeyes since 2018. Nebraska is 17-1 all-time against the 'Cats, including a 3-0 sweep earlier in the season in Lincoln.

Up Next

The Wildcats head to Michigan next weekend to take on both Michigan (Friday) and Michigan State (Saturday)

Northwestern University Athletics

'Cats Look to Stay Hot Against #4 Nebraska and #6 Ohio State

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