EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern welcomed the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to the Big Ten with a three-set victory (25-8, 25-16, 25-21) at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Friday night, the Wildcats' sixth win at home this year in as many tries.
A trio of outside hitters--Yewande Akanbi, Kayla Morin and freshman Symone Abbott--registered 30 of the team's 40 kills on the way to a comfortable 3-0 victory.
"It feels good," Abbott said of winning her first B1G match. "It wasn't always as smooth as we wanted it to be, but it was still good that we got the win."
The 'Cats have now won 11 of their first 12, but coach Keylor Chan said his team still has room for improvement as the 'Cats prepare for some of the tougher games on their schedule.
Even with a few question marks, Northwestern was in control from the outset, grabbing the first point of the match on a kill from Abbott. The 'Cats jumped out to an 8-2 lead by taking advantage of several mistakes from Rutgers, and took five of their first 12 points off errors.
Northwestern went on a 7-0 run midway through the set and led 17-4, forcing Rutgers to burn its second and final timeout. The 'Cats were ruthless and efficient, posting a .684 kill percentage in the first set, and Akanbi led all players with five kills (on seven attempts). Morin and sophomore middle blocker Maddie Slater each converted on their two kill attempts.
"It felt like the team was really connecting," Akanbi said, crediting freshman setter Taylor Tashima. "The team was just putting me in really good situations."
Northwestern's defense was equally impressive in the set, holding the Knights to just five kills on 25 attempts. Slater was key while holding down her middle blocker spot, combining with Katie Dutchman to snuff out the majority of Rutgers' attacks.
But the Scarlet Knights adjusted nicely after the first set and grabbed five of the first seven points to begin the second set.
"They made some good adjustments, got the ball to the middles and were able to get some clean kills," Chan said.
Rutgers' defense kept Akanbi in check, holding her without a kill for Northwestern's first nine points. But the Wildcats kept it close and came back to tie it on a block by Abbott before jumping ahead on the freshman's ensuing kill.
Morin, Akanbi and Abbott proved too much for the Knights, who crumbled after their early lead. Northwestern went on a 15-3 run to close out the set, and the 'Cats entered the break with a 2-0 lead and a .322 kill percentage--while holding Rutgers to a -.043 mark.
Northwestern got off to a rocky start for the second straight set after the break, falling behind 7-2 to open up the third frame. Rutgers junior middle blocker Mikaela Matthews put up three early kills for Rutgers, and Northwestern struggled to penetrate the Knights' defense.
"We did not pass well," said Chan, adding that his team had to rely on scoring a lot in transition to overcome the passing issues.
But an 8-4 run pulled NU to within one, and they eventually tied the set at 15 on another kill by Akanbi. On the following play, Northwestern took its first lead of the set on a a kill from--who else?--Akanbi, and from there it was all business as the 'Cats pulled away to take a 22-17 run behind a steady diet of Akanbi kills and Rutgers errors.
Abbott emphatically hammered home the final kill several plays later, giving the 'Cats a 25-21 win in the third and final set. The win stretched Northwestern's winning streak to six games, and also gave the 'Cats a familiar result--a win at Welsh-Ryan Arena, the team's 16th win in its last 24 games at home.
Abbott's nine kills stretched her team-leading total to 135. She says veterans like Akanbi have helped her ease into life as a Division I athlete.
"It helps a lot," Abbott said. "Yewande used to be just like me when she was a freshman, so she can always tell me, 'I did this too, you're not weird, it's normal.' I can note that I can end up like her one day if I keep working."
Northwestern hasn't lost since returning to Evanston on Sept. 12, and that streak will be tested again on Saturday against the visiting Maryland Terrapins. The match will begin at 7 p.m.
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