Volleyball Plays Three Matches at the Golden Eagle Invitational

NORTHWESTERN VOLLEYBALL: GAME INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	WATCH	LIVE STATS
Friday, September 2	Tennessee Tech	10:30 a.m. CT	Hooper Eblen Center Cookeville, Tenn.	ESPN+	Live Stats
Friday, September 2	Evansville	5 p.m. CT	Hooper Eblen Center Cookeville, Tenn.	ESPN+	Live Stats
Saturday, September 3	Western Carolina	10:30 a.m. CT	Hooper Eblen Center Cookeville, Tenn.	ESPN+	Live Stats
Social: Twitter: @NU Vball \| Instagram: @nuvball

EVANSTON, Ill. – After sweeping its three-match homestand to open the season, the Northwestern volleyball team heads to Cookeville, Tenn. to compete in the Golden Eagle invitational. The Wildcats will take on Tennessee Tech and Evansville on Friday, Sept. 2 before playing Western Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 3. Matches against Tennessee Tech and Western Carolina will start at 10:30 a.m. CT, while the Friday night matchup against Evansville starts at 5 p.m. CT. All three contests will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Northwestern began its 2022 season in dominant fashion last weekend, sweeping all three teams – Pacific, UTEP and Northeastern – in three sets at the Wildcats Classic. The 'Cats were led by senior Temi Thomas-Ailara, who notched a weekend-high 30 kills (3.33 k/s). Shortly behind was Hanna Lesiak, who added 26 kills of her own (2.89 k/s). Alexa Rousseau earned 83 assists (9.22 a/s) as the primary setter, while Megan Miller received a team-high 29 digs (3.22 d/s).

NU is 3-0 to begin a season for the first time since 2015 and is one of two Big Ten teams (Nebraska) to begin this year without dropping a set. In last weekend's finale against Northeastern, the Wildcats hit .500, recording the fourth-highest hitting percentage in program history (highest under the current rally-scoring format). It's the highest percentage since NU logged a program-best .689 mark in a win over Towson nearly 24 years ago (Sept. 18, 1998).

'Cat Facts
- Northwestern is tied with Maryland for the top hitting percentage in the Big Ten at .314.
- Thomas-Ailara's 1,074 career kills ranks second in the Big Ten among active student-athletes.
- Miller is 49 digs from reaching 1,000 for her career.

All three opponents at the Golden Eagle Invitational are fairly new to the Wildcats. Northwestern has never matched up against neither Tennessee Tech nor Evansville, and the team has only played once against Western Carolina – a three-set sweep in 2009.

The hosts of the invitational, Tennessee Tech, are winless to start the season. The Golden Eagles traveled to the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational in Springfield, Mo. for their opener last weekend, dropping all three matches by 3-1 scores to Central Arkansas, Missouri State and Oral Roberts. Meanwhile, Evansville holds a 2-2 record entering the tournament. The Aces attended the Marshall Invitational, losing the first two matchups before coming back to sweep Marshall and Southern Indiana in three sets each. The Catamounts enter the Golden Eagle Invitational with the best record of the three opponents, having won its final three matches at the Wake Forest Invitational to earn a 3-1 record.

The 'Cats continue their long road swing next week when they travel to Washington for three matches against the Huskies, Cal Poly and Pepperdine from Thursday, Sept. 8 through Friday, Sept. 9.

Volleyball Plays Three Matches at the Golden Eagle Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Hanna Lesiak

Megan Miller

Alexa Rousseau

Temi Thomas-Ailara

Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern University Athletics