Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
11-4,1-2Big Ten
Michigan State
12-1,2-1Big Ten
Wildcats Fall 3-1 to Michigan State
10/3/2025 9:44:00β―PM | Women's Volleyball
EVANSTON, Ill.Β --Β Northwestern volleyballΒ took the first set in dominant fashion,Β but couldn't hang on against the Michigan State Spartans (12-1, 2-1 Big Ten), falling in four sets (25-15, 15-25, 20-25, 21-25) on FridayΒ at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The loss dropped Northwestern's record to 11-4 overall and 1-2 in Big Ten play.
The Wildcats offense was paced by Bella Bullington, who finished with 15 kills on the day with aΒ .296 hitting percentage, and by Rylen Reid, who matched that total with 15 of her own. Defensively, NorthwesternΒ got 10 digs from Ayah Elnady along with a team-high five blocks from Bella Simkus.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Wildcats won the first point and never looked back, rolling to a 25-15Β first-set victory. Already up 15-11, the 'Cats rattled off four straight blocks to force a Michigan State timeout and extend their lead to 19-11. The Spartans couldn't get past Northwestern's defensive front, and the WildcatsΒ opened up their biggest lead, 10 points, to finish off the set. They got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked five Michigan State attacks in the stanza and capitalized on 10 Michigan State attacking errors on the way to victory.
SET 2 | Michigan State bounced back in the second set, winningΒ 25-15 to tie the match 1-1. Northwestern trailed by as many as 11 points as Michigan State hit .500 as a team en route to the set-two victory.
SET 3 | Northwestern fell again in set three to make it a 2-1 deficit. After the 'Cats got out to an early 5-1 lead, Michigan State grabbed the advantageΒ at 15-14 andΒ took over completely in the second half of the stanza. They used 12 kills and four blocks to roll to a 25-20 win.
SET 4 | Northwestern battled in set four but couldn't close out, falling 25-21 in the set and 3-1 in the match. Despite five kills each from Bullington and Reid, the Spartans outlasted the 'Cats to take the victory.
Game Notes
Β» Northwestern never trailed on the way to winning the first set 25-15.
Β» Bella Bullington had a team-high 15 kills for Northwestern, good for her second straight match in double figures. It marked the first time in the first-year's career that she reached double-digit killsΒ in back-to-back matches.
Β» Northwestern got a team-high 10 digs from Ayah Elnady, who fell just shy of her third double-double of the season with nine kills.
Β» Northwestern attackers were helped by a team-high 31 assists from Lauren Carter. It was just the second time in the senior's career that sheΒ reached the thirty-assist mark.
Up Next
The 'Cats will be back in action this Sunday, when they wrap up their extended home stay with a matchup against the No. 10 Minnesota Golden Gophers. First serve between the two teams is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT inside Welsh-Ryan Arena and on B1G+.
