Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
2-6,0-0Big Ten
Northern Illinois
2-8,0-0MAC
Wildcats Secure Three-Set Sweep Over Northern Illinois
9/20/2024 7:40:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
DEKALB, Ill. -- Northwestern Volleyball secured their second three-set victory of the week (25-16, 26-24, 25-21) over the Northern Illinois Huskies on Friday on the road at Convocation Center.
The win closed out the non-conference portion of the 'Cats' schedule and improved them to 2-6 on the season.
The Wildcats' attack was paced by Buse Hazan, who finished with 12 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .348, and by Alexa Rousseau, who had 12 while hitting .478. Defensively, two players reached double figures in digs as Lily Wagner had 11 and Drew Wright had 10. From the front row, Kennedy Hill contributed five blocks.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Wildcats won the first point and held the lead the rest of the way to secure the first set 25-16. Northwestern opened up its biggest lead, nine points, to close out the set, totaling 16 kills along the way.
SET 2 | Northwestern carried momentum from a set-one win by securing a 26-24 victory in set number two. The Wildcats persevered in a back-and-forth set to win in a stanza that featured four lead changes and was tied seven times. Neither team led by more than four points along the way. Northwestern's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four Northern Illinois attacks in the stanza.
SET 3 | Northwestern then capped the three-set sweep with a victory in set number three. The Wildcats grabbed control of the set early when the score was 4-3 and never trailed to win 25-21. Northwestern led by as many as eight points at 20-12 before finishing off the stanza, totaling 17 kills along the way.
Game Notes
» Northwestern never trailed on the way to winning the first set 25-16.
» Buse Hazan had a team-high 12 kills for Northwestern; she has led the offense in five of Northwestern's eight matches so far this season.
» Northwestern got a match-high 11 digs from Lily Wagner, her fourth double-digit dig game of the year.
» Alexa Rousseau notched the fourth double-digit kill game of her career. Alongside her team-high 21 assists, the performance was good for her fifth double-double of the year.
Up Next
With non-conference play behind them, the 'Cats will begin their Big Ten schedule next Thursday at Maryland. First serve from College Park is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
