Northwestern
11-3,1-1Big Ten
Oregon
9-3,0-2Big Ten
'Cats Outlast Oregon 3-2
9/28/2025 5:43:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
EVANSTON, IL -- Northwestern volleyball secured its first Big Ten win of the season against the Oregon Ducks in a five-set match (25-22, 25-21, 24-26, 27-29, 15-10) on Sunday afternoon at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The win pushed the 'Cats to 11-3 on the season and 1-1 in Big Ten action, while Oregon fell to 9-3 and 0-2 in conference play.
Northwestern featured a balanced offense in the victory, with four players reaching double-digit kills. Ayah Elnady led the way with 16 kills, followed by Rylen Reid with 14 and Campbell Paris and Bella Bullington, who both had 10. On the defensive end, Kayla Kauffman had seven blocks while Paris and Bella Simkus had five and four, respectively. As a team, the 'Cats had 11 blocks to go along with six service aces.
How It Happened
SET 1 | Despite a back and forth start, the 'Cats were able to gain an edge by the middle of the first set, when Reid came up with a kill to extend the Northwestern lead to 14-10. Paris and Kauffman followed that up with a block to force an Oregon timeout, but the Ducks were able to rally back and take a 21-19 lead. Then, Simkus and Elnady quickly halted Oregon's run with another block, and the 'Cats fed off this energy to win the set 25-22. Reid finished with five kills and Lauren Dignan came up with four digs in the opening set.
SET 2 | The second set was another back-and-forth affair, with the score all tied up at 8-8 after the first stretch of play. The strong blocking for Northwestern continued, as Kauffman and Paris got one to grab the lead. The block party continued as Simkus grabbed blocks on back-to-back plays, first combining with Paris and then going solo. Oregon responded with a 3-0 scoring run, but Reid broke it with another kill. The Ducks made it interesting after tying the set at 19-19, but in the end it was all Northwestern as they took the set 25-21. As a team, the 'Cats came up with 12 kills and four blocks in the second.
SET 3 | The Ducks jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead to start the third set, but it was immediately silenced by a Paris kill. The Ducks continued to fight, taking a five-point lead after two straight service aces. Their lead grew to as many as five points, but two back-to-back Oregon attack errors provided the spark needed for Northwestern to get back on track. After tying the set up at 24-24, however, Oregon was able to secure the third set by a score of 26-24.
SET 4 | Oregon carried some momentum into the fourth set, but Elnady came out swinging with three quick kills for the 'Cats. A kill from Bullington brought some energy to Welsh-Ryan, and block assists from Lauren Carter and Kauffman allowed Northwestern to take the lead at 22-20. The final stretch of the fourth set was nip and tuck, with play extending beyond 25 points. The Ducks would go on to win the set by a score of 29-27, forcing a fifth set.
SET 5 | Neither team let up in the fifth set, with both sides trading points before an Oregon service error allowed the Wildcats to take the lead at 5-4. A 5-0 scoring run then forced an Oregon timeout, but Northwestern powered through to win the set 15-10 and secure the match victory.
Game Notes
» Ayah Elnady's 16 kills on the day were her most as a Wildcat.
» The 'Cats saw three players hit .500 or better on at least five attempts: Bella Simkus registered six kills on .667 hitting, Kayla Kauffman hit .500 with four kills, and Bella Bullington finished with 10 kills on a .500 hitting percentage as well.
» Rylen Reid finished with 14 kills, extending her double-digit kill streak to eleven straight matches.
» Lauren Carter had another double-double after registering her first career double-double during Wednesday night's game against Indiana. She finished today's game with 25 assists and 10 digs, which tied her career high.
» Lauren Dignan registered her second straight double-digit dig game and the third of her career.
» The match-up featured 40 ties and 12 lead changes.
Up Next
The 'Cats will continue their stretch of home games this Friday night when they host Michigan State. First serve between the two teams is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on B1G+.
