Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
10-10,4-6Big Ten
Michigan
3-16,1-9Big Ten
‘Cats Storm Back To Defeat Michigan, 3-2
10/21/2023 11:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Chinn, Hernandez tally 11 kills apiece in thrilling win
EVANSTON, Ill. (October 21, 2023) - Northwestern fended off a pair of match points as it rallied back from a 2-1 deficit to secure a 25-13, 19-25, 16-25, 28-26, 15-11 victory over visiting Michigan (3-16, 1-9 B1G) this evening before a raucous crowd of 3,347 fans inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Tonight's victory, Northwestern's third in five sets in 2023, moves the Wildcats to 10-10 overall and 4-6 in Big Ten Conference play.
These ?? ?????????? quit! #GoCats | @B1GVolleyball pic.twitter.com/8lTJkqA38X
— Northwestern Volleyball (@NUVball) October 22, 2023
How It Happened
SET 1 | Following an Ellee Stinson service ace to open the evening, Michigan rattled off five straight points to take a 5-1 lead. Staring at a 7-3 deficit, Northwestern took control with a 19-3 blitz. A Maddy Chinn kill gave the 'Cats a 9-8 lead ahead of a 7-0 tear that included kills from Kennedy Hill and Chinn on the way to stretching the gap to 16-9. Back-to-back Gigi Navarrete service aces pushed the margin to 21-10 before Averie Hernandez brought an end to the opening frame by hammering her sixth kill of the night to close a 25-13 win.
SET 2 | Northwestern looked to pick up right where it left off to open set two. Hill and Kathryn Randorf joined forces for a block as the hosts struck first, while Chinn and Leilani Dodson later joined forces for a denial that put Northwestern up three, 5-2. Michigan answered back, scoring eight of nine points at one stretch to go in front, 15-11. Northwestern responded, pulling even at 19-19 on another Hernandez spike, but Michigan closed with a flurry, scoring the final six points to earn a 25-19 victory and even match up at one set apiece.
SET 3 | Stuck in an early 3-0 hole in set three, Dodson tallied three kills as part of a 7-1 Northwestern surge that put the 'Cats up, 7-4. Michigan countered with the night's next seven points, charging ahead, 11-7. A Hill kill trimmed the margin to two, 13-11, but Northwestern was unable to find its footing as Michigan pulled away for a 25-16 triumph.
SET 4 | Michigan came out firing to begin set four, jumping out to a 13-8 lead as it looked to close out the night in four sets. Hernandez notched a pair of service aces as part of a 4-0 spurt that put Northwestern back on level terms, 14-14. Chinn connected on the outside to edge the Wildcats out to a 17-16 lead before another Navarrete ace from the service line pushed the gap to 20-18. The Wolverines continued to battle, rallying back to take a 24-23 lead. Kills from Hernandez and Hill, respectively, staved off a pair of match points, with a tandem block by Hill and Chinn providing the exclamation point on a 28-26 Northwestern win that forced a fifth set.
SET 5 | Rylen Reid hammered off the block early in the fifth set to knot the score up at 5-5. Drew Wright dropped home her second service ace of the night to give the Wildcats a slim 7-6 lead. An Alexa Rousseau dump kill upped the margin to two, 9-7, before Hill and Chinn turned away another Wolverine attack to stretch the gap to 13-9. Michigan fought off a match point of its own to close within three at 14-11, but a Wolverine service error sealed the deal as Northwestern took set five, 15-11.
Game Notes
» Chinn and Hernandez led the Wildcat attack on the night with 11 kills apiece.
» Chinn operated at a .281 (11-2-32) clip from the floor, while also contributing a season-high six blocks.
» Hernandez, who served up a career-best four aces, hit the 10-kill mark for the seventh time in eight matches.
» Dodson rounded out a trio in double figures with 10 kills.
» Dodson, who also recorded four blocks, has put up 10 or more kills in seven matches in 2023.
» Hill was a force defensively, racking up eight blocks, one rejection off her career high, in addition to five kills.
» Stinson piled up a match-high 24 digs, marking her fifth outing with 20-plus digs this season.
» Rousseau posted her ninth double-double of the year, finishing with 37 assists and 13 digs.
» Valentina Vaulet and Kendall Murray each hammered a match-high 21 kills to lead Michigan.
Up Next
Northwestern hits the road for a midweek clash with Ohio State on Wednesday, October 25. First serve from inside the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio is slated for 5 p.m. (CT) in a match that will be televised live on Big Ten Network.
This article created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
