Northwestern Set for Matchups with Maryland, No. 3 Nebraska

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern volleyball is set to play two conference matches this weekend. The Wildcats will host Maryland on Friday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. CT inside Welsh-Ryan Arena before traveling to Lincoln to battle B1G-leading No. 3 Nebraska at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday, Oct. 16. Both matches will air on B1G+.
 
Last Time Out
 
Northwestern (13-5, 2-4 B1G) split its pair of matches last weekend, beating Rutgers 3-0 on Friday in Evanston before falling to No. 6 Ohio State on Sunday in Columbus. Temi Thomas-Ailara’s 16 kills against Rutgers led NU to its first sweep over a conference opponent this season. The Wildcats posted a .402 team hitting percentage, their highest mark in a conference game since 2020.

The ‘Cats grabbed the first set to pull ahead early against No. 6 Ohio State, but fell 3-1 to the Buckeyes. Northwestern nearly took sets two and three as well, losing both by a score of 23-25. Megan Miller’s career-high 30 digs led the Wildcats to a season-high total of 87 digs in the match. 

 

‘Cat Facts

• The Wildcats rank second in the Big Ten, registering a .267 hitting percentage, only .001 off from Michigan’s leading mark of .268.
• Northwestern leads the Big Ten in both kills per set (13.83) and assists per set (12.91)
• Setter Alexa Rousseau is averaging 10.26 assists per set this season, the third-best mark in the league. Her 667 total assists lead the conference.
• Thomas-Ailara is third in the conference averaging 4.05 kills per set. Her 1,307 career kills are the second-most among active B1G players, trailing only Penn State’s Kashauna Williams (1,368). Thomas-Ailara ranks 11th in program history in career kills.
• Northwestern’s 13 wins this season already surpass last year’s total of 12.
• For the fourth time this season, the Wildcats are receiving votes in the AVCA’s Weekly Coaches’ Poll. NU was last ranked inside the AVCA Top 25 in…