Northwestern
5-23,3-17Big Ten
Michigan
18-13,8-12Big Ten
'Cats Fall Just Short in 3-2 Loss to Michigan
11/29/2024 8:47:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Despite a 20-kill game from Buse Hazan and double-doubles from Alexa Roussea and Drew Wright, the Wildcats fell in five sets (25-27, 19-25, 25-23, 25-22, 10-15) to the Michigan Wolverines in their season finale on Friday at the Crisler Center.
The loss cemented Northwestern's record at 5-23 overall and 3-17 in Big Ten play.
The 'Cats offense was paced by Hazan, who finished with a season-high 23 kills on the day. Rylen Reid added 13 and Kathryn Randorf chipped in with 10 as part of a Northwestern attack that had four players with double-digit kills. Defensively, had two players reached double figures in digs as Rousseau had 19 and Wright had 14.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Wildcats dropped set one 27-25 in spite of a solid showing on the attacking side. Northwestern put together a .318 attack percentage with 21 kills in the set loss.
SET 2 | Northwestern dropped set two 25-19, digging a 2-0 deficit in the match. Northwestern trailed by as many as six points as Michigan grabbed the advantage for good at 18-17 in a set that was tied up two times before the Wolverines took over in the second half of the stanza.
SET 3 | Northwestern stayed alive after a win in set three to make it a 2-1 match. The Wildcats persevered in a back-and-forth set to win 25-23 in a stanza that featured six lead changes and was tied 13 times. Neither team opened up a lead of more than three points along the way. The Wildcats racked up 17 kills over the course of the set.
SET 4 | Northwestern then kept the comeback train rolling, winning the fourth set 25-22 to bring the match level at two sets apiece. The Wildcats trailed by as many as six points, but took the lead for good at 21-20 in a set that had just one lead change before the Wildcats took over in the second half of the stanza. Northwestern also supplemented their offense with three aces in the set.
SET 5 | Northwestern couldn't complete the reverse sweep, falling 15-10 in the fifth set.
Game Notes
» Drew Wright's ten assists and 14 digs earned her the first double-double of her collegiate career.
» Rylen Reid concluded her junior season with three straight double-digit kill performances.
» Sophia Summers was efficient in the match, hitting .533 en route to her first-ever double-digit kill performance in the final match of her career.
» Buse Hazan's 23 kills were good for her second 20+ kill match of the year. She completes 2024 as the only Wildcat to pass that mark this season.
» Northwestern got a team-high 19 digs from Alexa Rousseau - a season high for the graduate student. Rousseau also led the team with 32 assists, which was her best mark in that category since August 31 against Pacific.
