Northwestern
0-1,0-0Big Ten
UNLV
1-0,0-0Mountain West
Wildcats Drop Five-Set Heartbreaker to UNLV in Opener
8/31/2024 12:20:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Northwestern volleyball got key contributions from several sources as they battled UNLV in the season opener Friday, but ultimately fell in five sets (20-25, 25-17, 25-13, 21-25, 12-15) to the Rebels on the road at Cox Pavilion.
The Wildcats' attack was paced by Buse Hazan, who finished with 17 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .263 in her Northwestern debut. Junior Kathryn Randorf also impressed, racking up 13 kills on a .250 hitting percentage. On the defensive end, the 'Cats got a team-high 14 digs from Drew Wright along with five blocks from Kennedy Hill.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Wildcats fell behind early, losing the first set 25-20. Northwestern trailed by as many as six points as UNLV never surrendered the lead in a set that was tied up just once before the Rebels took control.
SET 2 | Northwestern evened the match at 1-1 with a 25-17 victory in the second set. The Wildcats never trailed by more than five points and grabbed the advantage for good at 16-15 in a set that showcased two lead changes before Northwestern took over in the second half of the stanza. The Northwestern offense also got a boost from three aces in the period, which they capped off with an 11-2 run.
SET 3 | Northwestern took a 2-1 match lead after defeating the Rebels in the third set. The Wildcats led from the opening point on in the set to secure a 25-13 victory. Northwestern claimed the first eight points and opened up as much as a 12-point lead (14-2) en route to the set victory. Northwestern's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four UNLV attacks in the period.
SET 4 | Northwestern couldn't keep the win streak going, however, as the Rebels forced a fifth set with a 25-21 fourth-set win. The Wildcats couldn't endure a furious UNLV rally, falling after leading by seven points at 17-10 earlier in the set.
SET 5 | The Wildcats dropped the fifth set 15-12 despite a strong performance on the attacking end. Northwestern registered a .368 attack percentage with eight kills in the set loss.
Game Notes
» Buse Hazan paced the 'Cats in both kills (17) and aces (3) in her first performance with Northwestern.
» Northwestern took 19 of 21 total points between the end of the second set and the begging of the third.
» Northwestern got a match-high 14 digs from Drew Wright - a new career mark for the sophomore.
» Alexa Rousseau picked up right where she left off last season, with a match-high 35 assists in tonight's contest.
This article created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
