Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Elnady Earns All-B1G Honors
12/2/2025 11:25:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
EVANSTON, Ill. - Ayah Elnady earned All-Big Ten honors for her standout performance during the 2025 volleyball season, the conference announced Tuesday. Elnady, a graduate transfer, was named to the All-Big Ten second team.
It is the fifth all-conference award of Elnady's career after she earned a spot on the All-Big 12 Rookie Team in 2021, The All-Big 12 second team in 2022, and the All-Big 12 first team in both 2023 and 2024, all while playing for Kansas.
In 2025, Elnady contributed in all areas for Northwestern. She finished the season first on the team in both kills (371) and digs (281) while ranking among the top five in service aces (44) and blocks (38). The run included a team-high eight double-doubles. All together, her 437.5 points were the most by any Wildcat in a single season since Temi Thomas-Ailara in 2022.
Elnady consistently headed the Wildcat offense all season, leading the team in kills in 11 matches. One of only two Northwestern players to collect a 20-kill match in 2025, Elnady did so on two separate occasions, most recently helping the 'Cats to their first road win over Illinois since 2008. Overall, she tallied double-digit kills in 21 of 32 matches. The Egypt-native was also a force from the service line, finishing with a career-high 44 aces this year, which ranked second on the team.
Elnady concludes her collegiate career with 1,566 total kills, 1,132 total digs and 175 aces across 521 sets of action.
Also receiving a Big Ten postseason award was Drew Wright, who received Northwestern's Sportsmanship Award for 2025. Wright, a junior, appeared in all 32 matches at libero.
It is the fifth all-conference award of Elnady's career after she earned a spot on the All-Big 12 Rookie Team in 2021, The All-Big 12 second team in 2022, and the All-Big 12 first team in both 2023 and 2024, all while playing for Kansas.
In 2025, Elnady contributed in all areas for Northwestern. She finished the season first on the team in both kills (371) and digs (281) while ranking among the top five in service aces (44) and blocks (38). The run included a team-high eight double-doubles. All together, her 437.5 points were the most by any Wildcat in a single season since Temi Thomas-Ailara in 2022.
Elnady consistently headed the Wildcat offense all season, leading the team in kills in 11 matches. One of only two Northwestern players to collect a 20-kill match in 2025, Elnady did so on two separate occasions, most recently helping the 'Cats to their first road win over Illinois since 2008. Overall, she tallied double-digit kills in 21 of 32 matches. The Egypt-native was also a force from the service line, finishing with a career-high 44 aces this year, which ranked second on the team.
Elnady concludes her collegiate career with 1,566 total kills, 1,132 total digs and 175 aces across 521 sets of action.
Also receiving a Big Ten postseason award was Drew Wright, who received Northwestern's Sportsmanship Award for 2025. Wright, a junior, appeared in all 32 matches at libero.
Players Mentioned
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