Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
15-10,5-8Big Ten
USC
18-5,9-4Big Ten
Wildcats fall 3-1 to No. 17 USC
11/7/2025 2:58:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Northwestern volleyball came out strong against a ranked opponent on Thursday evening, taking the first set from No. 17 USC on the road, but couldn't hang on the rest of the way. They fell in four sets (25-22, 21-25, 16-25, 23-25) to the Trojans at Galen Center.
The loss dropped Northwestern's record to 15-10 overall and 5-8 in Big Ten play, while USC improved to 18-5 and 9-4.
The Wildcats were led by a double-double from Ayah Elnady, who registered 10 kills and 14 digs on the day. Bella Bullington and Rylen Reid each added 13 kills to tie for the team lead. On the defensive end, Lauren Dignan chipped in with 10 digs, while Kayla Kauffman led the front row with six blocks.
How It Happened
SET 1 | Bullington opened the match with two kills to get the 'Cats on the board first, but the Trojans quickly responded with a 5-0 run. A USC service error allowed Northwestern to cut the lead to two, and a block from Bella Simkus shrunk the lead to just one. The Wildcats continued to fight, grabbing a 14-13 lead following a kill from Reid. The senior followed that up with a solo block to maintain the Northwestern advantage. Elnady got a kill of her own to bring the score to 20-17, forcing a Trojan timeout. The 'Cats continued to control the set, forcing yet another USC timeout at 22-18. A series of Trojan attack errors brought the score to set point, and a huge kill from Reid allowed the 'Cats to take the first set by a score of 25-22. Northwestern registered a .382 team attack percentage with 15 kills in the set victory.
SET 2 | USC grabbed the first point of the second set, but Northwestern did not back down throughout the initial stretch of play. Another Elnady gave the 'Cats the advantage, 7-6, but the Trojans were able to find some momentum of their own to take control of the set. A 3-0 USC run grew the lead to six points, but a Campbell Paris kill was able to generate some energy for the 'Cats. After trailing by as many as eight points, Northwestern chipped away at the Trojan lead late, and a service ace from Drew Wright brought the Wildcats within two. In the end, however, they came up just short, and USC was able to secure the second set victory, 25-21.
SET 3 | In the third set, Elnady came up with back-to-back service aces to get Northwestern out to an early 4-1 lead. A series of USC kills tied the score at 5-5, and it was nip and tuck through the first half of play. Kills from Bullington and Simkus kept the score close, but a couple of Wildcat errors gave the Trojans some wiggle room. USC was able to grow their lead to eight points and never looked back, taking the third set 25-16.
SET 4 | Northwestern's defense dominated in the early stages of set four; a pair of blocks from Paris and Kauffman and Kauffman and Reid kept the 'Cats neck-and-neck with USC, at 5-5. The teams traded kills from there, with neither side taking a lead of more than three points along the way. Northwestern got contributions from all parts of the lineup, with five players chipping in at least one kill and five contributing at least one block. After USC broke 20 first, the 'Cats used a kill from Bullington and an ace from Lily Wagner to draw even once again at 21. Bullington would tie the set a final time, 22-22, with her 13th kill of the evening, before USC edged out the victory, 25-23, to secure the match.
Game Notes
» Ayah Elnady registered her fifth double-double of the season with 10 kills and a season-high 14 digs. Five double-doubles is the most by any Wildcat this year.
» Elnady also had a match-high three aces in the loss, marking the fourth match in a row that a Wildcat has registered a three-ace performance.
» Northwestern attackers were helped by a team-high 27 assists from Lauren Carter.
» The 'Cats out-blocked USC, the conference's best blocking team, 10 to seven.
» Kayla Kauffman's six-block night brought her to 68 total in her first-year campaign. Two more blocks would put her in the top ten in program history for blocks by a Northwestern first-year.
Up Next
Northwestern will stick around Los Angeles to prepare for a Saturday night meeting with the UCLA Bruins. That match is scheduled for 9 p.m. CT on B1G+.
