Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
15-13,5-11Big Ten
Washington
11-15,6-10Big Ten
'Cats Drop Five-Set Match to Washington
11/16/2025 4:52:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern volleyball battled Washington for five sets, but couldn't close out on Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena, falling 3-2 (12-25, 25-18, 20-25, 25-23, 11-15) to the Huskies at home.
The loss dropped Northwestern's record to 15-13 overall and 5-11 in Big Ten play, while Washington improved to 11-15 and 6-10.
The Wildcat offense was paced by Rylen Reid, who finished with 18 kills on the day, and by Ayah Elnady, who had 16 while hitting .300. Northwestern also got a double-double from Lauren Carter, who logged 21 assists and 10 digs, and were led on the front row by Kayla Kauffman, who collected seven blocks.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Wildcats fell behind early, losing a tough first set 25-12. After Elnady collected kills on two of the match's first three points, Washington bounced back to take the advantage at 4-3 and never looked back from there. The Huskies hit .500 as a team in the set to help them to a 1-0 lead in the match.
SET 2 | Northwestern came out stronger in the second set, but Washington matched the 'Cats through the majority of the frame. The teams played to 10 ties before the media timeout. Reid led the 'Cats through that stretch, collecting six kills to account for over a third of Northwestern's points in the first half of the set. After the break, Northwestern capitalized on a series of Washington errors and a kill by Bella Bullington to take a 19-17 lead and force a timeout by the Huskies. The stoppage did nothing to halt the 'Cats' momentum, and they won six of the final seven points played to win the second set, 25-18. Northwestern registered a .333 attack percentage with 16 kills in the set win, paced by nine from Reid alone. The defense was also locked in, with the 'Cats' front line recording four blocks in the second set.
SET 3 | Set three was just as competitive as the previous one. Once again, the teams were evenly matched through the first stretch of play, reaching a 12-12 tie just before the break. Washington put together a 3-0 run to gain a 15-12 advantage from there, however - a lead they would not give up. Though the 'Cats continued to battle, the Huskies outpaced them, using a service ace to take set point, 25-20, and the match lead, 2-1.
SET 4 | Washington and Northwestern traded errors to begin set four before Reid and Elnady notched back-to-back kills to give the 'Cats an early 4-2 lead. Though the Huskies kept it close, Northwestern held onto its advantage through the break, leading by as many as five points at 13-8. Washington made the set a nail-biter in the second half, however, battling back to tie things up at 20-all. From there, Carter served up back-to-back aces to give the lead back to Northwestern, 22-20. The Huskies tied it up again at 23-23, but the 'Cats outlasted them, with Elnady securing an electric set point to send the match to the fifth on a 25-23 set-four victory.
SET 5 | The final set was back-and-forth as well. After falling down to a 2-0 deficit to start, Northwestern used a kill from Bullington and an ace from Elnady to draw even at 2-2. Bullington stayed hot from there, collecting another kill to help the 'Cats to a three-point lead, 5-2. The two sides traded points from there, with Northwestern never able to grow the advantage, and a series of errors allowed the Huskies to tie the set again at 8-8. Though both teams kept battling, it was Washington who got hot last, finishing on a 4-0 run to win a 15-11 set five and a 3-2 match.
Game Notes
» Lauren Carter collected her sixth double-double of the season and her second straight with 21 assists and 10 digs, both team highs. It is the second time this season that Carter has recorded double-doubles in back-to-back matches (Sept. 24 vs. Indiana and Sept. 28 vs. Oregon).
» Carter also led the team with three aces for a second straight match, marking her sixth three-ace game of the season. She leads the team with 41 aces this year.
» Rylen Reid had a match-high 18 kills for Northwestern to bring her season total to 301 - the first 300-kill season of her collegiate career.
» Kayla Kauffman recorded seven blocks in a game for the seventh time this season. She is the first Northwestern first-year to record 80 blocks or more in a season since 2004 (Brittney Aldridge, 98).
Up Next
The 'Cats will be back in action next week when they visit Ohio State and Purdue in a weekend road swing. They'll take on the Buckeyes at 5 p.m. CT on Friday, then travel to West Lafayette, Ind., to play the No. 9 Purdue Boilermakers at 5:30 p.m. CT on Sunday. Friday's match will be streamed on B1G+, and Sunday's game will be televised on Big Ten Network.
