Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Iowa
Northwestern Eases Past Iowa, 3-0
11/12/2023 4:57:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Sangiacomo, Hernandez lead ‘Cats in fifth straight win over Hawkeyes
CORALVILLE, Iowa (November 12, 2023) - For the third time in as many matches, Julia Sangiacomo and Averie Hernandez both reached double figures in kills as Northwestern (12-14, 6-10 B1G) notched a 26-24, 25-21, 25-21 sweep of Iowa (8-20, 0-16 B1G) this afternoon inside the Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa.
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— Northwestern Volleyball (@NUVball) November 12, 2023
How It Happened
SET 1 | An Alexa Rousseau service ace gave Northwestern its first lead of the opening frame, 7-6, before Hernandez hammered a kill from the back row to knot the score up at 11-11. With Iowa nursing a 15-14 edge, a Hawkeye service error sparked a 5-0 Northwestern run, with a tandem block from Maddy Chinn and Kennedy Hill staking the 'Cats to a 19-15 advantage. Playing on its Senior Day, Iowa battled back, tying the score at 23-23 ahead of fighting off a set point to again even the set at 24-24. Rousseau put the Wildcats back in front for good with a kill that made it 25-24 and set the stage for another Hernandez spike to close out a 26-24 victory in set one.
SET 2 | Hernandez elevated out of the back row again in the second set, giving Northwestern an early 3-1 lead. Iowa caught fire, rattling off six unanswered points to charge in front, 9-5. Back-to-back Hernandez kills stemmed the tide, trimming the gap to 9-7, ahead of a Chinn kill that capped off a chaotic rally, as Northwestern went back in front, 12-11. As was the case in the first set, Northwestern put together a push in the middle stages to race in front, taking off on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a Chinn kill to make it 20-16 in favor of the visitors. Sangiacomo slammed the door shut shortly after, firing through the Hawkeye block to secure a 25-21 win.
SET 3 | Leilani Dodson set the tone early in the third set, finishing on a slide kill ahead of a solo block that put Northwestern on top, 5-4. With the Wildcats holding on to an 11-10 advantage following a Hill kill out of the middle, Iowa scored three unanswered points to take a 13-11 lead and force a Wildcat timeout. A Sangiacomo kill broke the scoreless stretch, but Iowa continued to battle, notching back-to-back points later in the frame to retake the lead, 18-17. Another Hill kill set the stage for a 4-0 Wildcat run that included a pair of blocks from the duo of Chinn and Hill, as Northwestern built a 21-18 edge. Sangiacomo closed the show, finishing the match with back-to-back kills to wrap up another 25-21 triumph and secure Northwestern a three-set sweep.
Game Notes
» Sangiacomo led the Northwestern attack with 15 kills, her 17th match this season in double figures.
» Today marked Sangiacomo's 10th outing this season with at least 15 kills.
» Hernandez chipped in 11 kills, reaching double figures for the 12th time in 14 matches, in addition to serving up a team-high three aces.
» Since the start of Big Ten Conference play, Hernandez is averaging 2.84 kills per set.
» Dodson and Hill were both efficient out of the middle, each hitting north of .350.
» Dodson operated at .353 (9-3-17), finishing with nine kills and two blocks.
» Hill hit a team-best .400 (6-2-10), putting up six kills and a six blocks.
» Chinn, who pelted five kills, matched a season-high with six rejections of her own.
» Rousseau dished out 35 assists, while Ellee Stinson recorded 14 digs, both of which were match-best totals.
» Delaney McSweeney paced Iowa with nine kills.
Up Next
Northwestern continues its road swing next weekend, visiting Rutgers (November 17) and No. 19 Penn State (November 18).
This article created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
