Wildcats Welcome Top-Ranked Nebraska and No. 22 Michigan State to Welsh-Ryan Arena

EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern volleyball (7-10, 0-6 B1G) returns to Welsh-Ryan Arena to continue its Big Ten schedule this week, first hosting No. 1 Nebraska (17-0, 6-0) on Thursday before taking on No. 22 Michigan State (14-2, 7-2) on Saturday. First serve for both matches is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and both matches will be streamed on B1G+. 

Despite two conference losses last weekend, junior Mara Štiglic continued to pace the ‘Cats on offense in a five-set loss to Maryland, posting her third 20+ kill match of the season to become the first Northwestern player to record three 20+ kill matches in a season since Julia Sangiacomo in 2023. Štiglic leads the Wildcats with 226 kills so far this season and ranks seventh in the Big Ten with 3.71 kills per set. 

Sophomore Bella Bullington also recorded a strong effort against the Terrapins, leading the ‘Cats with 22 kills to set a career high and match Northwestern’s single-match season high, first set by Štiglic against Ball State. It was the first 20-kill performance of Bullington's career.

Thursday’s matchup will be the 24th between Nebraska and Northwestern, with the Cornhuskers holding the all-time advantage at 22-1. Nebraska enters Thursday’s match ranked as the nation’s top team by the AVCA/Taraflex poll, and is coming off of a pair of victories over No. 15 Indiana and No. 7 Wisconsin. The Huskers lead the nation in opponent hitting percentage (.105) and remain the only undefeated team in Division I volleyball this year. 

The match against Nebraska will be Northwestern's Dig Pink match, supporting the fight against breast cancer.

Next up for Northwestern will be a Michigan State team coming off of home wins over No. 13 Oregon and Iowa. Before Saturday’s match in Evanston, the Spartans will travel to Champaign to take on Illinois. 

Northwestern and Michigan State have matched up 84 times in their history, dating back to 1975, with the Spartans holding the all-time edge at 46-38. The teams’ most recent matchup was a 3-1 Michigan State win at Welsh-Ryan Arena during the 2025 season. 

Following this week’s matches, Northwestern hosts Michigan at Welsh-Ryan Arena next Thursday before travelling to West Lafayette, Ind. to face No. 16 Purdue next Sunday. First serve for the Michigan match is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on B1G+, and the Wildcats and Boilermakers square off at 3 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.