Northwestern
Buffalo
Volleyball Hits the Road for Four Matches on the East Coast
9/11/2025 5:21:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Northwestern volleyball is back on the road for another stretch of non-conference matches this weekend in Buffalo, N.Y. The 'Cats will take on a trio of opponents at the Buffalo Classic to start, facing Buffalo on Friday at 5 p.m. CT and Niagara (9 a.m. CT) and Cornell (3 p.m. CT) in a doubleheader on Saturday. Northwestern will then travel to Kingston, R.I., to face Rhode Island in a standalone match on Monday at 2 p.m. CT.
After two straight weekends on the road to open the season, Northwestern (5-1) raised the curtain on its home schedule on Tuesday, defeating Valparaiso 3-2 inside Welsh-Ryan Arena. Several 'Cats came up big in the reverse sweep, including Rylen Reid, who collected the first double-double of her career with 13 kills and 17 digs, and Lauren Carter, who posted a career-high 43 assists.
For Reid, the match continued a red-hot start to her season. The senior has reached double-digit kills in five of six matches so far this year, which exceeds the number of double-digit kill performances from the entire rest of her career combined. Her 17 digs against Valpo marked a new career high, and her 73 kills on the season lead the roster by a margin of 20.
Also contributing on offense in the win were Ayah Elnady, who posted a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs, and Campbell Paris, who impressed in her Welsh-Ryan Arena debut with a team-best 17 kills in the match. On defense, first-year Lauren Dignan posted 20 digs for the first double-digit performance of her career. The full-team effort featured three 'Cats with more than ten kills, two with more than ten assists, and four with more than ten digs.
First up for the Wildcats this weekend are the Buffalo Bulls on Friday at 5 p.m. CT. The Bulls are 2-2 in 2025 so far after defeating Rutgers and Marist and falling to Liberty and No. 25 Dayton. Northwestern and Buffalo have met three times in the past, with Northwestern winning each of the previous matches. The two programs faced off most recently in 2018 - a 3-1 victory for the 'Cats.
On Saturday, Northwestern will take on both Niagara and Cornell in a doubleheader beginning at 9 a.m. CT. The Purple Eagles (0-5) enter the Buffalo Classic winless on the season after dropping all three matches they played last weekend at the Eastern Michigan Tournament. Next up for the 'Cats, Cornell (2-2) is coming off a victory over Colgate, 3-1, in its home opener on Tuesday evening. Saturday's matches will be Northwestern's first in program history against each opponent.
After wrapping up at the Buffalo Classic, Northwestern will continue its road trip at Rhode Island, where the 'Cats are set to take on the Rams on Monday at 2 p.m. CT. Rhode Island (2-4) will spend this weekend in Fort Worth, Texas, where it will face Missouri, TCU and Wyoming before returning to the East Coast to host the Wildcats. Monday's match will be the fifth all-time meeting between the two programs and the first since 1993, when the 'Cats swept the Rams, 3-0, in Kingston. Northwestern has come out on top of all four previous matches, with Rhode Island yet to win a single set against the Wildcats.
Following their East Coast trip, the 'Cats will return home next week to host St. Thomas and Campbell in a tournament at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Northwestern will first host the Tommies on Thursday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. CT, then the Fighting Camels on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT. Both matches will be streamed on B1G+.
