EVANSTON, Ill. – The Northwestern volleyball team cruised to a three-set sweep, 3-0 (26-24, 25-17, 25-18) against the Illinois in the 2022 regular season finale on Friday at home at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The win improved the Wildcats record to 18-14 overall and 7-13 in Big Ten play, while Illinois falls to 15-15 and 10-10 in conference play. NU’s 18 wins this season are the most since 2010, the last year the ‘Cats appeared in the NCAA Tournament with a 20-13 record.
SWEEP SWEEP ??
‘Cats Crush Illini ?? pic.twitter.com/a8LAAIzW7P
— Northwestern Volleyball (@NUVball) November 26, 2022
The Wildcats attack was paced by Temi Thomas-Ailara, who finished with 12 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .276, and by Kathryn Randorf, who had 10 while hitting .348. Leilani Dodson also pitched in with five in the contest. Defensively NU, had two players reach double figures in digs as Megan Miller totaled 14 and Alexa Rousseau had 11. From the front row, Desiree Becker contributed six blocks.
Game Notes
» Leilani Dodson had a match-high five aces in the win.
» Northwestern never trailed on the way to winning the second set 25-17.
» Northwestern served up seven aces on the way to a second-set victory.
» Northwestern attackers were helped by a match-high 26 assists from Alexa Rousseau.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Wildcats took set one 26-24 thanks to a strong showing on the attacking side. Northwestern put together a .375 attack percentage with 17 kills in the set victory. After the lead changed hands four times, NU was able to put the set away in extra points before rolling to wins in sets two and three.
SET 2 | Northwestern carried momentum from a set-one win by securing a 25-17 victory in set two. The Wildcats led from the opening point on in the set to secure the victory. Northwestern opened its biggest lead of the stanza, eight points, to finish off the set. The Northwestern offense also got a boost from seven aces in the stanza. Northwestern’s front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four Illinois attacks in the stanza.
SET 3 | Northwestern took the third set to sweep the match. The Wildcats grabbed the set 25-18. Northwestern took the lead for good at 8-7 in a set that had just one lead change before the Wildcats took over the lead.
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