FAIRFAX, Va. - Northwestern volleyball fell to George Mason in the season opener on Friday, dropping the first of three matches in Washington, D.C., by a final score of 3-1 (25-23, 28-26, 18-25, 25-23).
The ‘Cats were led by a trio of double-digit kill performances. Headlining was Mara Štiglic, who tallied 17 kills in her Northwestern debut. She was accompanied by Bella Bullington, who picked up where she left off last season with 13 kills, and Campbell Paris, who collected 12. On the defensive side, Lauren Dignan racked up 13 digs, while Stiglic and first-year Maya Stillwell each contributed three blocks.
How It Happened
SET 1 | George Mason stretched an early lead to 4-1 in the first set, capitalizing on kills from three different attackers to open their scoring. An ace by Drew Wright and a kill from Bullington brought the ‘Cats back even at five apiece, and the set was back-and-forth from there. Štiglic’s first kill of the evening gave Northwestern its first lead of the set, at 8-7, but an attacking error quickly evened the score again. Neither team gained an advantage of more than two points for the balance of the set, but the Patriots edged the Wildcats out in the end, capitalizing on a handful of errors late in the frame to win the first set, 25-23.
SET 2 | The second set was even more competitive than the first, requiring extra points to decide its winner. Northwestern gained the upper hand early this time, using errors by George Mason and another kill by Štiglic to go up 5-2. Stillwell picked up her first collegiate kill early in the set to stretch the lead to 6-3 before a 4-0 George Mason run put the Patriots on top. The ‘Cats battled through the middle of the set to keep things close, using strong offensive performances from Štiglic and Bullington. The set tied at 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 before George Mason finally muscled out a victory, winning 28-26 to put themselves up 2-0 in the match.
SET 3 | Northwestern entered the third set ready, jumping out to an early 8-3 advantage using a pair of kills each from Štiglic and Paris. That set the tone for a dominant performance throughout; the ‘Cats never trailed in the third set. Štiglic once again led the way with four kills in the frame, with Paris’ three kills aiding the effort. First-year Hayley Schaaf sealed the third-set victory for Northwestern with a pair of aces, cutting the Patriots’ lead in half, 2-1, in the match.
SET 4 | While the ‘Cats kept battling, George Mason proved too much in another competitive set. Northwestern led early on the force of Štiglic, Paris and Stillwell, who provided a block, but strong defense at the net pulled the Patriots back even, 6-6. The Wildcats regained their advantage through the middle of the set, leading 22-18 late in the frame, but a 7-1 run across the final minutes gave George Mason the victory in the third set, 25-23, and in the match, 3-1.
Game Notes
- Bella Bullington registered the first double-double of her collegiate career, pairing a career-high 11 digs with her 13 kills.
- First-year setter Ellie Stiernagle also picked up a double-double, racking up 38 assists over four sets of action to go with 10 digs on the defensive side.
- Maya Stillwell, another first-year, racked up three blocks in her collegiate debut, tying with Mara Štiglic for the team lead in that category.
- Overall, five players made their Northwestern debuts in Friday's match: Stiernagle, Stillwell, Stiglic, Hayley Schaaf and Cate Schnell.
Up Next
The 'Cats continue action in the nation’s capital tomorrow afternoon, when they are set to visit American at 3 p.m. CT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.