Sunday, October 1
West Lafayette, Ind.
1 p.m. CT
Northwestern
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Purdue
8-5,2-2Big Ten
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Northwestern
17
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27
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Purdue
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Photo by: Jazmin Bender/Northwestern Athletics
'Cats Roar Back To Stun No. 17 Purdue, 3-2
10/1/2023 4:24:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Sangiacomo drills career-best 33 kills to lead Northwestern in reverse sweep
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (October 1, 2023) - Spearheaded by a career-best showing from Julia Sangiacomo, Northwestern rallied back from a 2-0 deficit to score a thrilling 17-25, 15-25, 27-25, 25-11, 15-12 victory over No. 17 Purdue (8-5, 2-2 B1G) this afternoon inside Holloway Gymnasium in West Lafayette, Ind.
The victory, which moves the Wildcats to 7-7 overall (1-3 B1G), marks Northwestern's second win over a ranked opponent this season and fifth win over a Top 25 foe dating back to the start of the 2022 campaign.
Comeback ????????????????#GoCats | @B1GVolleyball pic.twitter.com/hZGvsscH3K
— Northwestern Volleyball (@NUVball) October 1, 2023
How It Happened
SET 1 | Coming off a career night of her own on Friday, Averie Hernandez looked to spark the Wildcats' attack in the first set, tallying her first kill to even the frame up at 3-3. Sangiacomo hammered home from the outside shortly after to briefly give Northwestern a two-point edge, 7-5. With the lead sitting at 11-10, Purdue ripped off a 7-0 run, jumping out to a 17-11 advantage on a service ace by Maddie Schermerhorn. The Wildcats pulled back within five, 19-14, on a back-to-back Purdue attack errors, but got no closer as the hosts closed out the first set, 25-17.
SET 2 | Northwestern struggled to settle into a rhythym in set two, falling into an early 8-4 hole. A tandem block from Sangiacomo and Kennedy Hill trimmed the gap to two, 8-6, but Purdue responded with four unanswered points to take command, 12-6, on its way to a convincing 25-15 victory.
SET 3 | Staring at a 2-0 deficit in the match, Sangiacomo powered the Northwestern attack to begin the third set, connecting for three early kills, the last of which put the 'Cats up, 4-2. With the two teams deadlocked at 11-11, a Leilani Dodson slide kill sparked a 5-0 surge, highlighted by two kills from Alexa Rousseau, as Northwestern galloped in front, 16-11. Purdue answered with the afternoon's next four points, quickly trimming the margin to one, 16-15. Dodson and Ellie Husemann each cashed in off Boilermaker overpasses in short order, with the latter's staking the Wildcats to a 22-19 advantage. Purdue again had a response, pulling even at 22-22 on consecutive service aces by Chloe Chicoine. After seeing the hosts fend off a pair of set points, Hernandez ripped back-to-back kills, the last of which sealed a 27-25 victory that kept Northwestern in the match.
SET 4 | Four kills from Sangiacomo over the first five points of set four saw Northwestern race out to a 5-0 lead and never look back. Husemann and Hernandez joined forces for a block to extend the gap to 12-5 ahead of a solo denial from Sangiacomo that made it 18-7 and prompted a Purdue timeout. As was the case in the previous frame, Hernandez kills accounted for Northwestern's final two points to put the exclamation point on a dominant 25-11 triumph, forcing a fifth set.
SET 5 | In search of not only a road win over a ranked oppoenent, but also its first five-set win of 2023, Northwestern found itself staring at an early 6-3 deficit. Sangiacomo continued to attack, trimming Purdue's lead to 8-7 on her career-high setting 28th kill of the day. The Boilermakers responded with three of the next four points, reestablishing a three-point lead, 11-8. Northwestern proved to have the final push, scoring seven of the final eight points. Two Sangiacomo kills fueled a 4-0 tear that was capped off by a Rousseau and Dodson block which put the Wildcats back on top, 12-11. With the score deadlocked at 12-12 shortly after, Sangiacomo finished off her day with consecutive kills, setting Northwestern up with match point at 14-12. Hernandez closed the show, sending her attack off the fingertips of a Boilermaker to close out a 15-12 win and complete Northwestern's comeback.
Game Notes
» Sangiacomo was outstanding, finishing with 33 kills, the second most in a single match in program history, while hitting .400 (33-7-65).
» Sangiacomo's tally from this afternoon surpasses her previous career high of 27, which was last set against Tulane on September 11, 2022.
» Sangiacomo also added four digs, four blocks, and a service ace.
» Less than 48 hours removed from a career-best showing of her own, Hernandez pelted 13 kills.
» Rousseau posted her second double-double in as many matches, totaling 46 assists and a season-high 16 digs.
» Dodson led the Wildcats at the net, accounting for five blocks in addition to nine kills.
» Ellee Stinson finished with a team-high 21 digs on the afternoon, her eighth outing this season with at least 15 digs.
» For the second time in as many matches, Gigi Navarrete reached double figures in digs, posting 13 digs of her own.
» Eva Hudson led Purdue with 17 kills.
Up Next
Northwestern sets off on a two-match road swing through Michigan next weekend, with matchups against Michigan (October 6) and Michigan State (October 7) on the schedule. Friday's 5 p.m. (CT) clash with the Wolverines will be televised live on Big Ten Network.
This article created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
Team Stats
NU
Purdue
Kills
65
54
Errors
24
20
Attempts
173
158
Hitting %
.237
.215
Points
76.0
71.0
Assists
55
50
Aces
2
7
Blocks
9
10
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
33
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
5
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
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