Northwestern Picks Up Second Straight Sweep, Sinks the Sharks 3-0

EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern volleyball (5-3) picked up its second straight sweep on Saturday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, defeating the LIU Sharks (0-7) by a final score of 25-19, 25-18, 25-18.

Mara Štiglic and Bella Bullington both reached double-digit kills for the seventh time this season, combining for 23 of Northwestern’s 44 kills. In the back row, Lauren Dignan and Drew Wright were both strong, collecting 17 and 15 digs respectively.

How It Happened

SET 1 | Characteristically, the ‘Cats were led in the match’s first set by their three leading hitters: Štiglic, Bullington and Campbell Paris. After a handful of LIU errors handed Northwestern an early lead, the trio kept the Wildcats on top with six combined kills in the first half of set one. Despite that, the ‘Cats held just a one-point advantage at the midway point. A 5-1 run out of the media timeout expanded Northwestern’s lead, however, putting the Wildcats up 20-15. Another pair of kills from Bullington then helped close out a 25-19 victory, part of a six-kill performance from the sophomore in the match’s opening set.

SET 2 | Northwestern’s offense was firing on all cylinders in the second set as the ‘Cats hit .378 en route to 17 kills. Bullington attacked early, then Štiglic took over late with help from first-years Maya Stillwell and Clara Schramm. The Wildcats led by as many as four points, 13-9, in the first half, and only expanded that lead in the late stages. Štiglic and Schramm combined for three straight kills to get the ‘Cats to 20 first, then Lily Wagner chipped in the final two Wildcat kills of the set to close out a 25-18 win.

SET 3 | The third set was the tightest of the match through the early points, with the two teams knotted up as late as 12-12. That was the 11th tie of the set, but it would be the last, as the Wildcats again expanded their lead late in the frame. Štiglic remained strong in the third set, leading all players with five kills. Wagner also continued to have an impact; with her at the service line, the ‘Cats ran off four straight points to extend their lead to 17-12. The Sharks couldn’t keep up from there, eventually falling 25-18 to give Northwestern the sweep for a second straight night.

Game Notes

• Sixteen of Northwestern’s 17 players saw the court, and all of them recorded at least one kill, assist or dig.
• Schramm set a season high with seven kills, making her Northwestern’s third leading scorer behind Štiglic (13) and Bullington (10).
• Dignan led all ‘Cats with 17 digs, her sixth straight match in double figures. She has recorded at least 10 digs in every match she has worn the libero jersey.
• Ellie Stiernagle racked up 33 more assists, pushing her past the 300 mark for the season.
• Northwestern’s .337 team attack percentage was its best of the season so far. Meanwhile, the ‘Cats limited the Sharks to just a .163 team attack percentage.

Up Next

The 'Cats will close out action in the Northwestern Invitational tomorrow afternoon, when they will play Green Bay at 3 p.m. CT. Action will be streamed on B1G+.