Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, October 3
Evanston, Ill.
7 p.m. CT
Northwestern
vs
Michigan State
Photo by: Mary Grace Grabill/Northwestern Athletics
'Cats Host Spartans and No. 10 Gophers for Homecoming Weekend
10/2/2025 5:44:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
EVANSTON, Ill. - Coming off a gritty five-set victory against Oregon on Sunday, Northwestern volleyball (11-3, 1-1 Big Ten) will conclude its home stand with two matches this weekend against Michigan State and No. 10 Minnesota. The 'Cats will take on the Spartans on Friday night at 7 p.m. CT, and then face the ranked Golden Gophers on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. CT. Both matches will be streamed on B1G+.
Northwestern will hope to maintain the balanced attack it showcased last time out against the Ducks, with four players reaching double-digit kills. Ayah Elnady led the way with 16 kills, followed by Rylen Reid with 14 and Campbell Paris and Bella Bullington, who both had 10. With several attackers putting in strong starts to the season, the 'Cats enter the weekend leading the Big Ten in total kills, with 686 as a team.
Also making an impact in the win against Oregon was Lauren Carter, who logged her second straight double-double, finishing with 25 assists and 10 digs. The performance came just one game after the senior put together the first double-double of her career with 22 assists and 10 digs against Indiana last Wednesday. Carter has now reached double-digit assists in 13 of Northwestern's 14 matches this season, and Northwestern has seen both setters - Carter and Sienna Noordermeer - reach double-digits in the same match 11 times this year.
From the service line, Northwestern continues to impress. Carter and Elnady sit at fifth and sixth in the Big Ten for service aces entering play against Michigan State, with 21 and 20 respectively. As a team, the 'Cats are third in the Big Ten and 34th in the nation in aces per set (1.93) and account for three of the conference's top ten servers in terms of total aces.
First up this weekend for the Wildcats is Michigan State (11-1, 1-1 Big Ten), who also comes into the match with a 1-1 conference record. After going a perfect 10-0 in non-conference play, the Spartans dropped their Big Ten opener to then-No. 12 Minnesota last Thursday. Following the setback, Michigan State's most recent victory came on Saturday against Michigan, in which they won at home in three straight sets. The Spartans have also been impressive from the service line, ranking second in the Big Ten with 2.07 aces per set so far.
On Sunday, Northwestern will face a Top-10 Minnesota squad (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) that most recently fell in four sets to the Michigan Wolverines on Wednesday. It was only the second loss of the season for the Gophers, who previously dropped their season opener to then-No. 9 Texas A&M in August. As a team, the Golden Gophers have racked up a .296 hitting percentage that ranks 11th in the nation, and Julia Hanson is currently tenth in the conference for total kills, with 159. On the defensive side, Minnesota is fourth in the Big Ten for total blocks (120), and Lourdes Myers has 53 blocks individually to rank eighth in the conference.
Following the two weekend match-ups, the 'Cats will hit the road for the first time in nearly a month, heading east to take on Rutgers (Oct. 10) and Penn State (Oct. 11). Both matches are scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and will be streamed on B1G+.
Northwestern will hope to maintain the balanced attack it showcased last time out against the Ducks, with four players reaching double-digit kills. Ayah Elnady led the way with 16 kills, followed by Rylen Reid with 14 and Campbell Paris and Bella Bullington, who both had 10. With several attackers putting in strong starts to the season, the 'Cats enter the weekend leading the Big Ten in total kills, with 686 as a team.
Also making an impact in the win against Oregon was Lauren Carter, who logged her second straight double-double, finishing with 25 assists and 10 digs. The performance came just one game after the senior put together the first double-double of her career with 22 assists and 10 digs against Indiana last Wednesday. Carter has now reached double-digit assists in 13 of Northwestern's 14 matches this season, and Northwestern has seen both setters - Carter and Sienna Noordermeer - reach double-digits in the same match 11 times this year.
From the service line, Northwestern continues to impress. Carter and Elnady sit at fifth and sixth in the Big Ten for service aces entering play against Michigan State, with 21 and 20 respectively. As a team, the 'Cats are third in the Big Ten and 34th in the nation in aces per set (1.93) and account for three of the conference's top ten servers in terms of total aces.
First up this weekend for the Wildcats is Michigan State (11-1, 1-1 Big Ten), who also comes into the match with a 1-1 conference record. After going a perfect 10-0 in non-conference play, the Spartans dropped their Big Ten opener to then-No. 12 Minnesota last Thursday. Following the setback, Michigan State's most recent victory came on Saturday against Michigan, in which they won at home in three straight sets. The Spartans have also been impressive from the service line, ranking second in the Big Ten with 2.07 aces per set so far.
On Sunday, Northwestern will face a Top-10 Minnesota squad (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) that most recently fell in four sets to the Michigan Wolverines on Wednesday. It was only the second loss of the season for the Gophers, who previously dropped their season opener to then-No. 9 Texas A&M in August. As a team, the Golden Gophers have racked up a .296 hitting percentage that ranks 11th in the nation, and Julia Hanson is currently tenth in the conference for total kills, with 159. On the defensive side, Minnesota is fourth in the Big Ten for total blocks (120), and Lourdes Myers has 53 blocks individually to rank eighth in the conference.
Following the two weekend match-ups, the 'Cats will hit the road for the first time in nearly a month, heading east to take on Rutgers (Oct. 10) and Penn State (Oct. 11). Both matches are scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and will be streamed on B1G+.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's VolleyballVolleyball - 'Cats Outlast Michigan in Five-Set Thriller (10/16/25)
Friday, October 17
Volleyball - Wildcats Sweep Campbell to Close Non-Conference Play (9/20/2025)
Sunday, September 21
Volleyball - 'Cats Defeat Valparaiso in Home Opener Reverse Sweep (9/9/2025)
Wednesday, September 10
Volleyball - Tim Nollan, Sienna Noordemeer, and Ayah Elnady at Big Ten Media Days (7/28/25)
Monday, July 28
