Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, August 30
Las Vegas, Nev.
8 p.m. CT
Northwestern
at
UNLV
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Volleyball Set to Open Season at UNLV Rebel Challenge
8/29/2024 5:37:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Northwestern volleyball is set to raise the curtain on their 2024 season this weekend as they head west to take on a pair of opponents in the Rebel Challenge Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 'Cats will play hosts UNLV on Friday at 8 p.m. CT before facing off with Pacific on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT.
Friday's match will be the program's first under head coach Tim Nollan, who took over in February after an eight-year tenure at Grand Canyon. Alongside Nollan, seven Wildcats will suit up in purple for the first time this weekend, including two first years and five transfers.
Among the group are a pair of veterans with postseason experience in graduate transfer Sophia Summers and junior Buse Hazan. Summers spent her first four years of collegiate play at the University of Washington, where she was part of four NCAA Tournament teams. The middle blocker made key contributions during her senior season in Seattle, including a team-leading 101 blocks. Hazan began her career at South Florida and helped the team to a 22-12 record and a semifinal appearance in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship in 2023. A 5-11 outside hitter, Hazan earned First Team All-AAC honors after pacing the Bulls in kills and service aces last season.
The newcomers will join nine returners on the 2024 roster. That group is headlined by setter Alexa Rousseau, who will begin her fifth season with the Wildcats on Friday. Rousseau opens her 2024 campaign ranked sixth in program history for career assists, with 3,315, after putting up a team-high 1,061 last year. Junior Kennedy Hill is also poised to make an impact as she looks to follow up an impressive sophomore season. Hill tallied the first double-double of her career last year, posting highs in both kills (12) and blocks (11) against Indiana (Oct. 29), and finished with a team-best 1.13 blocks per set on the season.
First on the calendar, the 'Cats will take on a UNLV team that finished 19-13 overall and third in the Mountain West (11-7) last season, earning an invitation to the NIVC. The Rebels were picked to finish fifth in the conference in the preseason poll after returning 12 players, including five of their six starters from 2023.
Pacific also earned an NIVC berth in 2023 on an 18-11 overall record, including a 10-6 mark and a fourth-place finish in West Coast Conference play. The Tigers will take on Iowa State on Friday afternoon before facing off with the 'Cats on Saturday.
After wrapping up play in Las Vegas, Northwestern will continue their non-conference schedule next weekend at Long Beach State. The 'Cats will face The Beach for a pair of matches on the west coast on Thursday (Sept. 5) and Saturday (Sept. 7).
Friday's match will be the program's first under head coach Tim Nollan, who took over in February after an eight-year tenure at Grand Canyon. Alongside Nollan, seven Wildcats will suit up in purple for the first time this weekend, including two first years and five transfers.
Among the group are a pair of veterans with postseason experience in graduate transfer Sophia Summers and junior Buse Hazan. Summers spent her first four years of collegiate play at the University of Washington, where she was part of four NCAA Tournament teams. The middle blocker made key contributions during her senior season in Seattle, including a team-leading 101 blocks. Hazan began her career at South Florida and helped the team to a 22-12 record and a semifinal appearance in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship in 2023. A 5-11 outside hitter, Hazan earned First Team All-AAC honors after pacing the Bulls in kills and service aces last season.
The newcomers will join nine returners on the 2024 roster. That group is headlined by setter Alexa Rousseau, who will begin her fifth season with the Wildcats on Friday. Rousseau opens her 2024 campaign ranked sixth in program history for career assists, with 3,315, after putting up a team-high 1,061 last year. Junior Kennedy Hill is also poised to make an impact as she looks to follow up an impressive sophomore season. Hill tallied the first double-double of her career last year, posting highs in both kills (12) and blocks (11) against Indiana (Oct. 29), and finished with a team-best 1.13 blocks per set on the season.
First on the calendar, the 'Cats will take on a UNLV team that finished 19-13 overall and third in the Mountain West (11-7) last season, earning an invitation to the NIVC. The Rebels were picked to finish fifth in the conference in the preseason poll after returning 12 players, including five of their six starters from 2023.
Pacific also earned an NIVC berth in 2023 on an 18-11 overall record, including a 10-6 mark and a fourth-place finish in West Coast Conference play. The Tigers will take on Iowa State on Friday afternoon before facing off with the 'Cats on Saturday.
After wrapping up play in Las Vegas, Northwestern will continue their non-conference schedule next weekend at Long Beach State. The 'Cats will face The Beach for a pair of matches on the west coast on Thursday (Sept. 5) and Saturday (Sept. 7).
Players Mentioned
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