Northwestern
10-3,0-1Big Ten
Indiana
10-1,1-0Big Ten
'Cats Drop Big Ten Opener to Indiana
9/24/2025 10:46:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern volleyball fell to the Indiana Hoosiers in four sets (22-25, 25-16, 19-25, 18-25) on Wednesday at home at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The loss dropped Northwestern to 10-3 overall and 0-1 in Big Ten action, while Indiana improved to 10-1 with its first Big Ten victory of the season.
Rylen Reid finished with 16 kills on the day to lead the Wildcats offense while finishing with a hitting percentage of .314. Defensively, Northwestern had two players reach double figures in digs, as Lauren Dignan had 13 and Lauren Carter had 10.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The opening set did not disappoint with six lead changes, ten ties, and with no team ever leading by more than five points. The Hoosiers jumped out to an early 11-6 lead, but the Wildcats rallied to even it up at 17-17. Campbell Paris led the charge, coming up with back-to-back kills for the 'Cats' 16th and 17th points. Lauren Dignan followed that up with a service ace to take the lead and force an Indiana timeout. In the end, however, Indiana was able to pull away to win the set 25-22. Rylen Reid and Paris led the way on attack with four kills each in the opening set.
SET 2 | The 'Cats came out hot in the second set, gaining a 10-5 lead after a service ace from Lauren Carter. Bella Bullington brought in a huge kill to extend the lead to 20-13. The Hoosiers could not seem to find a rhythm, as Northwestern racked up three service aces, sixteen kills, and two blocks en route to a 25-16 victory.
SET 3 | Northwestern's momentum carried right into the third set, as Bullington, Kayla Kauffman, and Paris all got early kills to help the 'Cats to a 5-1 advantage. The Hoosiers then bounced back to take the lead back at 14-13, and they never looked back, going on to win the third set 25-19.
SET 4 | The fourth set began as a back-and-forth affair, with both teams trading points. Indiana was able to grab the lead, but Northwestern found a spark from an Ayah Elnady kill to pull within four points. Reid racked up another five kills, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit as the Hoosiers secured the match-winning set 25-18.
Game Notes
» Lauren Dignan had a match-high three aces, the first multi-ace match of her collegiate career.
» Northwestern also got a match-high 13 digs from Dignan, marking the second time this fall that she has logged ten or more and led the team in that category.
» Rylen Reid had a team-high 16 kills for Northwestern, extending her double-digit kill streak to 10 straight matches. It was her third match of the season with more than 15 kills.
» Northwestern attackers were helped by a team-high 22 assists from Lauren Carter, who notched the first double-double of her career with 10 digs.
Up Next
The 'Cats will continue their homestand on Sunday afternoon, when they host the Oregon Ducks at Welsh-Ryan Arena for another Big Ten matchup. First serve is scheduled fo 2 p.m. CT on B1G+.
