Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
16-14,6-12Big Ten
Purdue
23-5,14-4Big Ten
Wildcats Fall in Four Sets to No. 11 Purdue
11/23/2025 9:29:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Northwestern volleyball battled to a set-two victory, but ultimately fell to the No. 11 Purdue Boilermakers in four sets (22-25, 26-24, 14-25, 11-25) on Sunday on the road at Holloway Gymnasium.
The loss dropped Northwestern's record to 16-14 overall and 6-12 in Big Ten play, while Purdue improved to 23-5 and 14-4.
The 'Cats' offense was paced by Ayah Elnady, who finished with 14 kills on the evening. Campbell Paris and Rylen Reid rounded out the box score with 10 kills apiece as part of a balanced Northwestern attack. Defensively, the team got nine digs from both Elnady and Gigi Navarrete to lead the way.
How It Happened
SET 1 | Purdue grabbed the match's first lead, but the 'Cats kept the score close through the first stretch of play, eventually evening things up at 6-6. From there, the Boilermakers scored the next seven straight points to take a 13-6 lead. The Wildcats didn't quit, however. They used a 5-0 run of their own, highlighted by a trio of service aces from Elnady, to cut Purdue's lead back to two, 16-14. Though the 'Cats kept the set close the rest of the way, Purdue held on to win 25-22 to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Elnady powered Northwestern in the first set, contributing four kills, three aces and a solo block.
SET 2 | Bella Bullington came alive in the second set, helping Northwestern respond to Purdue with a 26-24 victory. Purdue jumped out to an early 4-1 lead, but the 'Cats bounced back with kills from Paris and Reid to keep the score close. Though the Boilermakers remained on top from the majority of the set, Northwestern kept the pressure on, preventing them from growing their lead to more than three points. Finally, the 'Cats capitalized on a Purdue error to even things up, 17-17, then took their first lead of the match on a kill from Bullington. The sides traded ties and leads from there, but the Wildcats got the final word, with Elnady providing a kill for set point. As a team, Northwestern put together a .459 attack percentage with 18 kills in the set win, including six from Bullington alone.
SET 3 | Northwestern carried its second-set momentum over early in the third, leading by as many as three points at 8-5. The 'Cats couldn't maintain the lead for long, however. Purdue grabbed the advantage for good at 11-10 and the 'Cats struggled to answer, eventually falling 25-14.
SET 4 | Purdue kept the hot hand in the fourth set, taking the first point and never looking back. The Boilermakers hit .450 as a team in the fourth set en route to a 25-11 victory and a 3-1 win in the match.
Game Notes
» Ayah Elnady had a match-high four aces, her 13th multi-ace match of the season. The graduate student has now collected multiple aces in seven of her last eight matches.
» Northwestern got a team-high nine digs from Gigi Navarrete, who matched her season high in that category.
» Campbell Paris recorded her ten kills on .471 hitting, marking the second straight match and her fourth of the season with double-digit kills on a hitting percentage of .400 or better.
Up Next
The Wildcats return home to host Senior Night this Wednesday against Wisconsin at Welsh-Ryan Arena. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on B1G+, with a Senior Night ceremony to follow the match.
