Northwestern
Valparaiso
Wildcats Open 2025 Home Slate against Valparaiso
9/8/2025 5:14:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
EVANSTON, Ill. - After opening the season with five straight road matches, Northwestern volleyball (4-1) is back in Evanston on Tuesday for the 2025 home opener against Valparaiso (4-2) at Welsh-Ryan Arena. First serve between the Wildcats and the Beacons is set for 7 p.m. CT and action will be streamed on B1G+.
The Wildcats return home after opening the season with wins in four of the first five matches, the team's best start since 2022. Most recently, the 'Cats split a pair of matches in Waco, Texas, sweeping Saint Mary's (CA) handily on Friday after falling narrowly to the No. 20 Baylor Bears on Thursday. With the 3-2 loss to Baylor, Northwestern came just one set shy of its first ranked victory since 2023.
Rylen Reid continued to impress in both weekend matches, racking up a team-high 29 kills in Waco. The dominant weekend brought the senior to 60 kills on the season so far, which averages to a team-high 3.33 per set through the first five matches. Ayah Elnady also stood out at Baylor with 15 kills in Thursday's loss. Her team-best nine digs put her just shy of her second double-double of the season.
On the defensive side, first-year Kayla Kauffman continued the hot start to her career with a team-high five blocks in Thursday's match. With 20 total across four matches so far, Kauffman's 1.43 blocks per set pace puts her fourth in the Big Ten. Bella Simkus also ranks among the conference's best, ranking 14th in blocks per set at 1.19.
Service continues to be a point of excellence for Northwestern as a team as well. The 'Cats are ranked second in the Big Ten in aces per set (2.37) and third in the conference in total service aces (45) through their first two weeks of play. Elnady currently paces the conference in service aces, with 13, while Reid ranks sixth in the Big Ten, with 10.
Tuesday's match marks the first in program history between Northwestern and Valparaiso. The Beacons enter the week at 4-2 after dropping a 3-1 match to Eastern Michigan to conclude action at the Eastern Michigan Tournament last Friday. Following the weekend's action, Valpo leads the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) in assists per set (13.09), digs per set (17.23) and attacks per set (39.91), while ranking second in the conference in blocks per set (2.41) and opponent attack percentage (0.160). Senior libero Emma Hickey has led the way for the Crusaders, leading the MVC with 5.76 digs per set.
Following the meeting with Valparaiso, the Wildcats will return to the road this week for three games in Buffalo, N.Y., at the Buffalo Classic. Northwestern begins action against the hosting Bulls on Friday at 5 p.m. CT, then plays a doubleheader against Niagara (9 a.m. CT) and Cornell (3 p.m. CT) on Saturday. All three matches will be streamed on YouTube.
