Northwestern Volleyball Drops Five-Set Decision to Maryland
Northwestern volleyball dropped a five-set match to the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday, falling 3-2 at the Stephen M. Schanwald Pavilion in College Park, Maryland. The Wildcats moved to a 7-10 overall record and 0-6 in Big Ten play, while Maryland improved to 12-5 and 2-4 in conference action.
Match Progression Through Five Sets
Maryland captured the opening set 25-19 after breaking away from an 18-15 deadlock, capitalizing on Northwestern errors. The Terrapins utilized a balanced attack featuring three players recording five kills in the frame.
Northwestern responded in the second set, claiming a 25-18 victory behind Mara Štiglic, who notched six kills and two blocks. Bella Bullington secured the set point with her sixth kill of the match.
Maryland reclaimed the momentum in the third set, hitting .361 and collecting four blocks to secure a 25-18 win and a 2-1 match advantage.
The fourth set saw intense back-and-forth action before Campbell Paris took over for Northwestern with seven kills on 11 swings. A 4-0 closing run sealed a 25-17 win for the Wildcats, evening the match at two sets apiece.
In the decisive fifth set, Northwestern built an 11-7 lead. Štiglic notched her nineteenth kill to bring up match point at 14-11, but Maryland rallied to force extra points and eventually captured the final set 19-17 to take the match 3-2.
Individual Milestones and Team Statistics
Štiglic finished with 20 kills, marking her third 20-kill performance of the season. Bullington led the team with a career-high 22 kills, tying Štiglic’s September 17 performance against Ball State for the most kills by a Wildcat in a single match this season.
Sophomore Kayla Kauffman posted a career-high eight blocks, which also stands as the highest single-match total by a Wildcat this year. Ellie Stiernagle surpassed the 600 mark for the season with 45 aces in the match and finished just one dig shy of her sixth double-double of the season. As a team, Northwestern matched its season high with 63 total kills while establishing new season highs with 11 aces and 13 blocks.
Upcoming Matchup at Welsh-Ryan Arena
Northwestern returns home to prepare to face the nation’s No. 1 team, hosting top-ranked Nebraska at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Thursday. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT with a broadcast on B1G+.
