Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
3-3,0-0Big Ten
Northern Colorado
3-5,0-0Big Sky
'Cats Use Balanced Attack To Charge Past Northern Colorado, 3-0
9/8/2023 6:04:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Sangiacomo hammers team-best 10 kills in return to action
BOSTON, Mass. (September 8, 2023) - Led by a returning Julia Sangiacomo, Northwestern hit just shy of .400 as it stormed to a 25-19, 25-17, 25-19 sweep of Northern Colorado this evening as part of the Northeastern Invitational in Boston, Mass. Tonight's result from the Cabot Center moves the Wildcats back to the .500 mark at 3-3 overall and marks Northwestern's second win of the year over a 2022 NCAA Tournament participant.
Bear(s) ??#GoCats | @B1GVolleyball pic.twitter.com/91adb056mu
— Northwestern Volleyball (@NUVball) September 8, 2023
How It Happened
SET 1 | After seeing Northern Colorado edge out to a 4-3 lead, Northwestern used a 3-0 spurt, capped off by a kill from Sangiacomo off an overpass, to take a lead it would not relinquish. Kathryn Randorf hammered off the block to stretch the gap to 11-7 before Leilani Dodson's slide kill stretched the gap to 13-8. Northern Colorado looked to rally, closing within three at 19-16, but Northwestern closed the opening set by scoring the final four points of the frame, as an Alexa Rousseau kill closed out a 25-19 victory.
SET 2 | Northwestern started fast in set two, rattling off three quick points to jump on top, 3-0, before Northern Colorado responded with an 8-2 surge to prompt a Wildcat timeout with the Bears holding on to an 8-5 advantage. Sangiacomo and Kennedy Hill joined forces on a block shortly after that sparked an 8-1 run that put the 'Cats back in control. Another Randorf spike put Northwestern on top for good, 12-11, before she teamed up with Dodson for a block that saw the lead balloon to five, 16-11, en route to winning the set, 25-17.
SET 3 | Hill looked to spark Northwestern early on in set three, registering kills on each of the frame's first two points. Northern Colorado refused to go away without a fight, scoring six of seven points at one juncture to move in front, 7-5. Averie Hernandez came off the bench to deliver a service ace the knotted the set up at 7-7 as Northwestern took off on a 6-1 run of its own to seize an 11-8 lead. Ellee Stinson joined in, delving a pinpoint service that forced a Northern Colorado timeout at 15-11. Hill caught fire to close the night, tallying kills on three of Northwestern's final five points, the last of which slammed the door shut on a 25-19 triumph.
Game Notes
» Sangiacomo didn't skip in a beat in her return to the floor, pelting a team-high 10 kills to reach double figures in the category for a fourth consecutive outing.
» Dodson continued to be the model of consistency, hitting .750 (9-0-12) as she posted nine kills and three blocks, matching Sangiacomo in the latter category.
» Hill, who finished with a match-best four blocks, also enjoyed an error-free night from the floor, putting up seven kills as she finished at a .636 clip (7-0-11).
» Coming off a career-best showing earlier in the week, Maddy Chinn added seven kills of her own.
» Stinson put up a match-high three service aces in addition to leading Northwestern with 10 digs.
» Rousseau dished out 30 assists, her fourth match this season with at least 30 helpers.
» Brynn Reines paced Northern Colorado with a match-high 11 kills.
Up Next
Northwestern looks to finish a 2-0 stay at the Northeastern Invitational when it battles the host Huskies on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. (CT).
This article created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
