COLUMBUS, Ohio -- No. 24 Northwestern was tripped up on the road by the red-hot Ohio State Buckeyes Saturday night, falling in a Big Ten battle at St. John Arena, 3-1 (25-21, 26-24, 17-25, 25-17).
The Wildcats hit .275 on the night while holding the Buckeyes to a clip of just .204, but when it came down the critical plays in the match, the majority seemed to go the way of the home team.
Ohio State jumped out to an early four-point lead at 10-6, but the Wildcats steadied the course and eventually grabbed the lead back at 13-12 when OSU's Erin Sekinger's attacking effort went long. The Buckeyes eventually secured an 18-17 lead on a kill from Sekinger, but Northwestern soon tied the score at 19 points aside following a serving error on OSU and Symone Abbott's fourth kill of the frame. The teams traded points until the Scarlet and Gray rattled off a three-point lead to take the led for good in the first. NU fought off one set point, but OSU eventually claimed the first set, 25-21.
Abbott led the Wildcats with four kills on eight swings without an error in the first set. Northwestern libero Caroline Niedospial led all players with five digs in the opener. NU was troubled by five attacking errors (two OSU blocks) and four serving errors to start Saturday's match.
Northwestern got off to a sluggish start in the second set and it trailed 5-1, prompting NU head coach Keylor Chan to summon sophomore Caleigh Ryan to set the offense. The Wildcats chipped away and eventually grabbed an 11-10 edge following back-to-back kills by senior Yewande Akanbi. The 'Cats would grow their lead to three points later on at 18-15, but a 5-2 run by the home team evened the scored and prompted Chan to use a timeout.
After the respite, Monica McGreal buried her first kill of the night and Abbott secured two in a row to put Northwestern ahead 23-20, but Ohio State responded with a three-point surge to even the ledger once again. The Wildcats had the first crack at set point with a 24-23 lead, but a serve went long and OSU followed that with a block and an ace to claim the second set, 26-24, and take a 2-0 lead for the match.
Ryan had 13 assists in the second set while helping the Wildcats hit .325 in the frame. Abbott added a total of five kills in the second stanza and Niedospial led all players once again with six more digs.
Northwestern asserted itself at the onset of the third set. The Wildcats used a 7-1 run to take an early 10-4 lead. Katie Dutchman was a key cog in NU's offense early on with three kills in her team's first four points in the third. The visiting team eventually pushed its lead to eight points for the first time at 13-5 on another thunderous kill from Abbott, the reigning Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week.
Ohio State eventually clawed back to within four points at 17-13, but Northwestern pressed through the small dose of adversity and secured a 25-17 triumph in the third set to cut its overall deficit in half. Dutchman finished the third game with four kills and a pair of blocks for NU. Northwestern sided Ohio State out at a clip of 70 percent in the third, the best mark for either side during Saturday's tilt.
The Buckeyes burst out to a 5-2 lead in the fourth set and Chan reinserted freshman Taylor Tashima into the lineup for a short time. Ohio State pushed its lead to five points a 9-4 and Chan used his first timeout of the set. Ryan came back on the floor, but unfortunately the switch was not able to recharge Northwestern and the Buckeyes methodically put together a 25-17 triumph in the fourth frame to finish off the Wildcats.
Abbott led Northwestern with 14 kills, while Dutchman matched her season high with 13. The redshirt senior hit .500 during the match, marking the seventh time this season, and the second time in Big Ten play, that the Del Mar, Calif., native hit at a clip of at least .500 in a match. Dutchman tallied six blocks to lead the Wildcats and tie her own season-best effort.
Niedospial picked up 16 digs in defeat, while Kayla Morin was also in double figures with 13. Ryan finished with 29 helpers.
Now halfway through its four-match road trip, Northwestern continues play on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at No. 8 Nebraska. Last year's meeting in Lincoln featured five thrilling sets, but the home team prevailed at the Devaney Center at Nov. 1, 2013. Wednesday's match will begin at 7 p.m. and can be seen live through BTN Plus on BTN2GO.
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