Northwestern
2-2,0-0Big Ten
Illinois State
0-4,0-0MVC
'Cats Roll Redbirds In Home Opener, 3-0
9/1/2023 7:50:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Northwestern hits .417 from the floor in dominant showing
EVANSTON, Ill. (September 1, 2023) - Northwestern volleyball started fast and never looked back, hitting a scintillating .417 from the floor as it cruised to a 25-8, 25-19, 25-22 sweep of Illinois State (0-4) this evening in the Wildcats' 2023 home opener inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Tonight's victory, Northwestern's second to open a home slate in as many years, moves the 'Cats back to the .500 mark on the season at 2-2 overall.
How It Happened
SET 1 | Northwestern never trailed in the night's opening frame, hitting a red-hot .536 (15-0-28). A Kennedy Hill kill capped a set-opening 4-0 Wildcat run that quickly put the hosts in command. Back-to-back spikes from Maddy Chinn and Alexa Rousseau, respectively, pushed the gap to 7-2. With the lead sitting at 12-6, consecutive kills from Kathryn Randorf laid the foundation for a 11-0 Northwestern run, which was capped off by a Drew Wright service as that saw the margin balloon to 23-6. Leilani Dodson's second kill of the night put the exclamation point on a comprehensive 25-8 first set victory for the 'Cats.
SET 2 | After falling into a 6-3 hole in set two, Northwestern chipped away. A 5-0 surge that featured tandem blocks from Hill and Randorf briefly gave the 'Cats an 11-9 edge before Illinois State countered with four unanswered points to go back in front, 14-12. Following kills from Chinn and Rylen Reid that edged Northwestern on top, 18-17, Averie Hernandez provided a spark off the bench, delivering a service ace that made it 19-17. Hernandez added a kill shortly after as part of a surge that saw the Wildcats tally six of the set's final seven points en route to a 25-19 triumph.
SET 3 | Northwestern found itself in a nip-and-tuck battle for the majority of set three, struggling to gain separation from a gritty Illinois State side. With the score knotted at 17-17, Randorf elevated at the net to put the 'Cats in front, 18-17, and give Northwestern a lead it would not relinquish for the remainder of the evening. Following another Randorf kill that stretched the margin to 21-19, Illinois State continued to hang around, closing with one one, 22-21, on a Kara Cooper kill. Dodson slammed the door shut, hammering a pair of kills to close the third set and put the exclamation point on a 25-22 win.
Game Notes
» Northwestern's .417 hitting percentage is a season high.
» Randorf paced Northwestern on the evening with 13 kills.
» Wright tallied a pair of service aces.
» Hill was dominant at the net, putting up a match-high eight blocks.
» Rousseau, who finished with five kills on seven attempts, was credited with a match-best 28 assists.
» Ellee Stinson finished with 13 digs.
» Megan Haynes led Illinois State with eight kills.
Up Next
Northwestern heads back out on the road on Monday, September 4 as it heads north on Interstate 94 to Milwaukee, Wis. for a Labor Day matchup with Milwaukee. First serve from inside the Klotsche Center is scheduled for 6 p.m.
This article created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
