WASHINGTON, D.C. - Northwestern volleyball swept its final match in Washington, D.C., on Sunday afternoon, defeating Georgetown 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-17) to close out the season-opening road trip.
Bella Bullington led Northwestern’s offense, finishing with 12 kills across three sets of action. Mara Štiglic also reached double-digits for the third straight match with 11 total. On the defensive side, Maya Stillwell led with six blocks, while Lauren Dignan anchored the back row with 15 digs.
How It Happened
SET 1 | Štiglic set the tone for the ‘Cats in the first set, capturing all three of the team’s first kills. Along with aces from Dignan and Ellie Stiernagle, that put Northwestern up 8-5. Georgetown struck back in the middle of the set, taking the lead over at 11-10. After a bit of back and forth, a pair of aces from Bullington helped the ‘Cats to a 4-0 run to regain the lead. The set was tied up a final time at 23-all, but a Štiglic kill and a Georgetown error sealed the first-set victory, 25-23.
SET 2 | Georgetown took the first two points of set two, but the ‘Cats bounced back quickly. A block from Stiernagle and Hayley Schaaf evened the score up at 4-4, and after the teams traded points, an error by the Hoyas gave Northwestern its first lead of the set at 10-9. That would be the only lead change in the frame, as Northwestern took 15 of the next 21 points to capture a dominant 25-15 win in the second set. Bullington led the way on offense with five kills and the ‘Cats combined for five blocks as a team.
SET 3 | The ‘Cats continued their dominance in the third set, winning 25-17 to wrap up the sweep. A 3-0 run on Drew Wright’s serve helped expand the lead to 12-8, and strong attacking from Bullington and Campbell Paris sealed the victory. The pair picked up five kills each in the final set.
Game Notes
- Bella Bullington came just shy of her second double-double of the season, finishing with nine digs to go with her 12 kills.
- Bullington also collected three aces, a career high. She now has six on the season, doubling her total from all of 2025.
- Mara Stiglic finished the weekend with 42 total kills to lead the roster.
- Ellie Stiernagle collected 111 assists across the first three matches of her collegiate career.
Up Next
The 'Cats will return to the court on Thursday, when they are set to open the Big Ten/SEC Challenge with a neutral-site meeting with Alabama at Mississippi State. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT.