'Cats Split Matches in Allstate Big Ten/SEC Challenge

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Northwestern volleyball (2-3) split a pair of matches in Starkville, Miss., this week, defeating Alabama (3-1) before falling to Mississippi State (4-1) in the inaugural Allstate Big Ten/SEC Challenge Week. The ‘Cats downed the Crimson Tide 3-1 on Thursday, then dropped a 3-1 match to the Bulldogs on Friday.

Mara Štiglic led the offense in both matches, finishing with 36 kills across the two days. Bella Bullington was also strong, tallying 15 kills on Thursday and 11 on Friday. Ellie Stiernagle continued the impressive start to her first-year season with 87 more assists, while first-year Hayley Schaaf provided an all-around boost with 16 kills and four blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED: GAME ONE

Alabama’s offense was strong out of the gate on Thursday, and at first the ‘Cats struggled to keep up. A pair of kills from Campbell Paris and a pair of aces from Štiglic kept things tight early, but the Crimson Tide opened things up in the middle portion of the first set. A 4-0 run put Alabama up 10-7, then a 5-1 run gave it a 15-9 lead heading into the media timeout. The Crimson Tide continued to control the set after the break, using kills from four different attackers to close out a 25-16 victory.

The tables turned in set two, as the ‘Cats scored the first point and never looked back. The set was tied up a few times early, but after a kill from Štiglic put the ‘Cats up 4-3, the Crimson Tide would never catch back up. Štiglic, Schaaf and Maya Stillwell took over, engineering a 5-0 run to stretch Northwestern’s lead to 16-7. Paris and Bullington provided kills down the stretch as well, helping guide the Wildcats to a 25-18 win to even the match at a set apiece. Štiglic and Bullington dominated in the second set, collecting five kills each as part of a 17-kill frame for the team.

Northwestern didn’t let up in the third set. A kill from Štiglic and then back-to-back-to-back service aces from Bullington gave the ‘Cats a 5-0 lead out of the gates, setting the tone for the rest of the set. Štiglic had the hot hand once again, providing six kills and a solo block to lead the Wildcats to their second set victory. Another 25-18 win put Northwestern up in the match, 2-1.

The fourth set was the closest of the bunch, finishing in a narrow 25-23 victory for the Wildcats. After Northwestern took a 4-1 lead early, the Crimson Tide battled back to tie the set at five. The teams traded points from there until a short 3-0 run gave Northwestern the lead back, 12-9. Alabama didn’t go quietly, however; after tying the set up again at 16-all, the Crimson Tide kept Northwestern within three points until the end, when the ‘Cats eventually triumphed. Bullington provided the dagger with the final point, part of a six-kill performance in the fourth set.

HOW IT HAPPENED: GAME TWO

Štiglic began the first set of Friday’s match with a kill, but it was all Mississippi State from there. The Bulldogs ran off eight straight points to force a Northwestern timeout and take a commanding lead in the set. Štiglic continued to chip in kills, but the ‘Cats couldn’t keep up with MSU’s offense. Despite recording more kills than the Bulldogs in the first set, the ‘Cats fell 25-18.

The second set turned the tables. After Mississippi State scored the first two points, kills from Paris, Schaaf and Bullington gave the ‘Cats a 4-3 lead. Back-to-back kills from Schaaf stretched the lead to 8-5, then a pair from Štiglic forced a Mississippi State timeout. A balanced offense kept the ‘Cats in control after the media timeout, and they evened the match with a 25-16 victory in set two.

Mississippi State bounced back in set three with a dominant 25-13 win. The Bulldogs defended well, limiting Northwestern to just seven kills while recording 15 themselves. Stiernagle put up a pair of blocks in the set, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Bulldog offense.

Set four went Mississippi State’s way as well. Though it was close through the first stretch of play, tied up as late as 10-10, the Bulldogs pulled away in the second half. Leading by just three at the media break, the would stretch their advantage to seven by the conclusion of the frame, winning the set 25-18 and the match 3-1.

SERIES NOTES

• Drew Wright anchored the back row defense in both matches, collecting 12 digs each day.
• Štiglic has now recorded 78 kills through her first five matches as a Wildcat, averaging nearly four kills per set.
• Stiernagle’s 87 assists this week give her 198 this season, putting her 11th in program history in first-year assists already.
• Štiglic recorded four aces in Thursday’s contest, equaling her single-match career high.
• Bullington and Štiglic both extended their double-digit kills streak to five games with strong offensive performances in Starkville.
• Schaaf set a career high with nine kills in Friday’s match against the Bulldogs. She hit .500 across the two matches, finishing with 16 total kills.