'Cats Lose Heartbreaker to Illini, 3-2

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Northwestern volleyball (7-15, 0-11 B1G) dropped a five-set match to Illinois (15-7, 7-4 B1G) on Thursday night in Champaign, Ill., falling 3-2 (22-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-15, 15-6) to the Illini.

Bella Bullington bolstered the ‘Cats with her second double-double of the season, racking up a match-high 18 kills to go along with 10 digs. Mara Štiglic and Campbell Paris both reached double digits as well, finishing with 14 and 12 kills, respectively.

The ‘Cats’ defense was firing on all cylinders during the match, as Northwestern tallied a season-high 14 blocks as a team. First-year Maya Stillwell led the way with eight, a career high, and Paris contributed six. In the back row, libero Lauren Dignan returned to action with a team-high 17 digs.

How It Happened

SET 1 | Northwestern opened play on a 3-0 run, but the Illini battled back to a 5-5 tie. After the teams tied again at six-, seven- and eight-all, a pair of Illinois attack errors gave Northwestern the advantage back, 10-8. A kill by Stillwell expanded Northwestern’s lead to three points, 14-11, but the Illini didn’t go quietly. A trio of kills from Paityn Chapman turned the tables in the set once again, putting Illinois up 17-15. Northwestern’s offense attacked from all sides, however, with Bullington, Stiglic, Paris and Stillwell all adding to their kill totals as Northwestern put together a 7-3 run to retake the lead. The final point came on the ‘Cats’ fifth block of the set, as Paris and Stillwell combined for set point. After 12 total ties and eight lead changes, the ‘Cats came out on top, 25-22.

SET 2 | Illinois evened the score with a 25-22 victory of its own in set two. After the teams traded points early, the Illini took the lead for good at 9-8. The Wildcats kept things close and even briefly tied the set up, 20-20, with the fourth of five kills from Bullington, but Illinois came out on top to even the match up at a set apiece.

SET 3 | The ‘Cats never trailed in the third set on their way to taking back the match lead, 2-1. Four early kills from Štiglic set the tone, lifing Northwestern to a 7-4 advantage, and the ‘Cats dominated from there through the middle portion of the set. A 6-0 run with Ellie Stiernagle behind the line gave the Wildcats a seven-point lead, 14-7. After Illinois called its second timeout, Stiglic's sixth kill of the set gave Northwestern its largest lead of the frame, at 20-11. Though Illinois put up a fight, the ‘Cats closed out a 25-22 victory in the end. Northwestern hit .500 as a team in the third set, with Štiglic gathering six kills and Paris close behind with five.

SET 4 | Illinois was in control from the beginning of set four, earning six of the first seven points to take a commanding lead. The Illini led by as many as 13 points, 23-10, and despite a late 5-0 run from the ‘Cats, Northwestern could not catch up to Illinois, and the match headed to a fifth set.

SET 5 | The Illini continued their momentum into the fifth set, opening on a 4-0 run. This time, the ‘Cats had an answer, winning five of the next seven points to draw within one, 6-5. That’s where the rally would end for Northwestern, however, as Illinois put together a 9-1 run from there, taking the fifth set 15-6 and the match 3-2.

Game Notes

• Dignan’s 17 digs were her most against a Big Ten opponent in her career, and Stiernagle’s 45 assists matched her high in a conference match (Oct. 10 at Maryland).
• Stillwell’s eight blocks tied Kayla Kauffman’s performance at Maryland (Oct. 10) for the most blocks by a Wildcat in a match this season. Her eight kills also matched her career high, set on Aug. 29 at American.
• Paris’ six blocks were her most in a single match as a Wildcat.

Up Next

Northwestern returns to Welsh-Ryan on Saturday, as the ‘Cats get set to host Rutgers on Senior Night. The Halloween matchup is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and will be streamed on B1G+.