How It Happened
SET 1 | Maryland began the match with a 4-0 scoring run, but Northwestern answered with a six-point run of its own to take the lead, highlighted by a pair of aces from Dignan. The two teams battled closely from there, with neither side leading by more than two points until the Terrapins finally broke through late, 18-15. The set featured nine ties and four lead changes before Maryland capitalized on Northwestern errors to finish off the 25-19 victory, giving them a 1-0 lead in the match. The Terrapins featured a balanced offense in the first set, with three players recording five kills in the frame.
SET 2 | Northwestern used another early scoring run to kick off the second set, following up a Maryland kill with four straight points to take the lead. The ‘Cats continued to expand their lead from there, with Paris and Štiglic leading the way. Another 4-0 run put Northwestern up 16-10, and after a brief Maryland rally, another ace from Dignan and three more kills from Štiglic put the ‘Cats on the brink, 24-16. In the end, it was Bullington who closed out the set, securing the 25-18 Wildcat victory with her sixth kill of the match. Štiglic shone in the second set, leading all players with six kills in addition to two blocks.
SET 3 | The Terrapins flipped the momentum to open the third set, getting off to a 7-4 lead behind kills from Eva Rohrbach and Brooklynne Brass. The ‘Cats kept fighting, cutting the lead down to two points at 15-13, but never managed to get a lead. Maryland hit .361 in the third set and connected on four blocks to help it to a 25-18 victory, reclaiming the match lead at 2-1.
SET 4 | The fourth set was tight all the way through, featuring ten ties and six lead changes. Neither team led by more than three points until the closing stages, when a Maryland attack error put Northwestern up 20-16. Paris took over for the ‘Cats in the set to keep their match hopes alive, racking up seven kills on 11 swings in the fourth frame alone. A 4-0 scoring run to close the set put an exclamation point on the 25-17 win for Northwestern, evening the match score once again at two apiece.
SET 5 | Three of the first four points in the decisive fifth set went Northwestern’s way, with Bullington and Paris both chipping in to gain an early advantage. Neither team went quietly, however; Maryland battled back to tie the set at four, five and six points before committing an attack error that gave the ‘Cats a slight margin, 8-6. Northwestern grew that lead to as many as four, at 11-7, but Maryland kept battling. Štiglic’s nineteenth kill of the evening brought up match point for the ‘Cats, 14-11, before Maryland staged a last-minute rally to force extra points. The Wildcats staved off two Maryland match points to extend the set, but eventually fell 19-17, giving Maryland the 3-2 match victory.
Game Notes
- The last time two ‘Cats recorded 20 or more kills in the same match was 2017, in another five-set loss to the Terrapins. Symone Abbott (29) and Nia Robinson (25) accomplished the feat on Oct. 13 of that year at McGrath-Phillips Arena in Chicago, Ill.
- With her third 20+ kill match of the season, Štiglic became the first Wildcat to record three or more 20-kill matches in a season since 2023, when Julia Sangiacomo recorded six such performances.
- Bullington’s 22 kills were a career high, marking the first 20-kill match of her collegiate career. It also matched Štiglic’s 22-kill game against Ball State (Sept. 17) for the most kills by a Wildcat in a single match this season.
- Kauffman’s eight blocks were a career high for the sophomore and also mark the highest single-match total by a Wildcat this year.
- In addition to matching its season high for team kills, Northwestern set season highs for single-match aces (11) and blocks (13).
- With 45 aces in tonight’s game, Ellie Stiernagle passed the 600 mark for the season and came just one dig shy of her sixth double-double of the season.
Up Next
The 'Cats return home and prepare to face the nation’s No. 1 team on Thursday, when Northwestern is set to host top-ranked Nebraska at Welsh-Ryan Arena. First serve between the Wildcats and the Huskers is set for 7 p.m. CT on B1G+.
