WASHINGTON, D.C. - Northwestern volleyball (0-0) will raise the curtain on its 2026 campaign this weekend with a trio of road matches in Washington, D.C. The ‘Cats will open against George Mason (0-0) on Friday at 5 p.m. CT before visiting American (0-0) at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday and Georgetown (0-0) at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday. All three matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
This year’s Northwestern squad features nine returners from last year’s team, which finished with 17 wins - a 12-win bump from 2024. That tied for the largest year-over-year improvement in Power Four women’s volleyball. The success started at the service line, where the ‘Cats set a rally-scoring-era program record with 217 aces. Instrumental in that success was libero Drew Wright, who begins her senior season this weekend after collecting 32 aces in 2025.
Kayla Kauffman, a sophomore middle blocker, also entered the record books last season. Her 98 blocks tied the Northwestern first-year record and led the team. She’ll be joined on the Northwestern front line by senior Gabrielle Gerry and first-year middle blockers Maya Stillwell and Hayley Schaaf.
On the offensive, Northwestern returns two of its top four scorers from last season in sophomore Bella Bullington and senior Campbell Paris. Bullington wrapped up her first season in Evanston with 190 kills, helped along by 11 matches in double digits. After two seasons at South Carolina, Paris hit .289 in 2025 en route to 161 kills in her first year as a Wildcat.
In addition to two first-year outside hitters, Simone Huarte and Clara Schramm, Nollan welcomed a pair of transfers to his offense in the offseason. Cate Schnell spent the past three years at Tennessee, reaching the NCAA Tournament in each season. Mara Štiglic joined the ‘Cats after two seasons at Utah State, where she collected nearly 600 total kills. Her 431 kills in 2025 led the Aggies, and, along with 29 aces, 146 digs and 63 blocks, earned her All-Mountain West honors.
Friday’s match in Fairfax, Va. will serve as the season opener for both Northwestern and George Mason. The Patriots are coming off a 17-13 2025 season which concluded in the quarterfinal round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The two teams have met twice before, most recently in 2003, and Northwestern owns the all-time record, 2-0.
American will welcome Northwestern on Saturday after hosting Georgetown in the Friday opener. Reigning Patriot League Champions, the Eagles reached the NCAA Tournament last season for the 19th time in program history following a 24-4 regular season. Saturday’s meeting will be just the second all-time between the two programs after the ‘Cats defeated the Eagles 3-1 at the 2019 Blue Devil Classic.
Northwestern’s weekend will conclude at Georgetown, where the Hoyas will search for their first-ever victory over Northwestern. The ‘Cats hold a 3-0 all-time mark against Georgetown, including a 1-0 record in Washington, D.C., where Northwestern swept the Hoyas in 2007. Sunday’s meeting will be the first between the two programs since 2008. Georgetown, which finished 2025 with a 14-15 record, will visit American on Friday and host George Mason on Saturday before taking on the ‘Cats.
Following opening weekend, Northwestern will continue its non-conference schedule in Starkville, Miss. next week for the inaugural Big Ten/SEC Challenge. The ‘Cats will play a neutral site match against Alabama next Thursday, Sept. 3, at 2 p.m. CT, then take on the hosting Mississippi State Bulldogs the following evening at 6 p.m. CT.