MUNCIE, Ind. - The Northwestern Wildcats (7-4) closed out their 2026 non-conference slate with a sweep of the IU Indy Jaguars (5-7) on Friday evening in Muncie, Ind., winning 25-20, 25-20, 25-23 for their fourth sweep of the season.
The ‘Cats got double-digit kills from all three of their top outside hitters, led for the second straight game by Mara Štiglic, who collected 15. Bella Bullington hit .565 en route to 14 kills, and Campbell Paris finished with 13 kills.
How It Happened
SET 1 | Northwestern opened with authority, building a 7-2 lead on five combined kills from Paris and Bullington. IU Indy battled back, tying the set up at 15-15, but the ‘Cats never gave up the lead. After the Jaguars came within one point again late, 20-19, Northwestern took five of the next six points to grab a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-20 set-one victory. Štiglic dominated in the frame, racking up seven kills with just one error.
SET 2 | The second set was a closer fight in the early stages. The teams traded points, tying seven times, before an IU Indy attack error gave the Wildcats a 9-8 lead. Northwestern would never trail again from that point on, using six more kills from Å tiglic and five from Bullington to cruise to another 25-20 win. The pair also anchored the team on defense, with Å tiglic contributing three blocks and Bullington leading the team with six digs in the frame.
SET 3 | IU Indy turned the tables to open set three. The Jaguars built a lead of as many as seven points, 14-7, but the Wildcats did not go quietly. Back-to-back kills from Paris kick-started the comeback, and a litany of errors by IU Indy put the ‘Cats on top, 20-16. Despite a timeout by the Jaguars, the ‘Cats didn’t let up. Bullington, Paris and Stiglic would all collect one more kill each to help Northwestern to a 25-23 victory, securing the 3-0 sweep.
Game Notes
- Tonight’s game marked the fourth time this season that Bullington collected ten or more kills on a .400 or better attack percentage.
- Ellie Stiernagle finished non-conference play with 447 assists, 22 assists away from moving into eight in program history in first-year assists.
- Both Lauren Dignan (18) and Drew Wright (10) reached double-digit digs.
Up Next
With non-conference play behind them, the Wildcats will set their sights on the Big Ten schedule, which begins next Thursday against No. 19 USC at Welsh-Ryan Arena. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and action will be streamed on B1G+.