EVANSTON, Ill. -- In Northwestern's final home match of the season, the Wildcats dropped three hard-fought sets (25-20, 25-23, 25-23) to the fourth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions on Wednesday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The match also marked the final home game in the careers of five distinguished Northwestern seniors: Yewande Akanbi, Maggie Burnham, Katie Dutchman, Monica McGreal and Savannah Paffen. Dutchman had two solo blocks in her Welsh-Ryan finale, while Paffen added five kills and McGreal came up with a service ace. As a group they have been part of 64 wins over the last four seasons.
"I'm so proud of how this group fought tonight," said Northwestern head coach Keylor Chan. "They left it all on the floor and fought for every single point. We tip our caps to Penn State for coming out on top, but I think our effort was evident throughout the match."
The Wildcats started the match by dropping the first point, but they won the next three behind kills from Dutchman and Taylor Tashima. Then, after a few back-and-forth rallies, middle blocker Maddie Slater saw an opening on Penn State's side and slammed down her first kill of the match, giving the 'Cats a 7-5 lead.
Northwestern furthered its advantage through fluid passing and strong play on the back line, grabbing a 9-6 edge. Penn State bounced back, however, winning the next five rallies to take their first lead of the set since the early 1-0 edge.
Trailing 14-11, NU head coach Keylor Chan called timeout and Northwestern won three of the next four points off a couple Penn State errors. Savannah Paffen, just off a season-high 12 kills in 14 attempts on Saturday against Iowa, buried a pair of critical kills to keep Northwestern within one, but the Nittany Lions went on a 3-0 run to go up 21-17. The 'Cats fought back and came within a pair, but Penn State ultimately won the set, 25-20.
The Nittany Lions started the first set by winning four straight points, but a pair of blocks by Dutchman helped the 'Cats take the next four themselves to tie the set. Neither side gained a clear advantage throughout the frame, as Penn State's four-point advantage proved to be the largest separation at any point. Northwestern used a well-balanced attack to stay close, and midway through the set, Dutchman, Symone Abbott, Kayla Morin and Tashima had three kills apiece, along with seven assists each from Tashima and Caleigh Ryan.
The teams each showed sloppy play, but the Wildcats took advantage of a few Penn State miscues and went ahead 16-13, forcing the Nittany Lions to call timeout for the first time in the game.
Penn State's front line came out of the break strong, with middle blocker Haleigh Washington contributing back-to-back blocks to set up a run that tied the game at 17. Morin came up with her fifth kill off a nice set by Tashima to put Northwestern back on top, and after the Nittany Lions tied the match again, Morin hammered down another kill that was too much for Penn State to handle after a long rally, giving the 'Cats yet another narrow lead.
That didn't hold as the Nittany Lions went back ahead, 21-20, but Tashima came up with her seventh kill off a timeout, tying the score. The Wildcats faced match point a couple serves later, trailing 24-22, and Abbott put up a big kill to put Northwestern within striking distance. Penn State's Megan Courtney slammed down the set-winning kill, however, giving the Nittany Lions a 2-0 lead in the match.
After the break, Penn State's Micha Hancock started the third set with an ace to add to her nation-leading total, but Northwestern battled once again to begin the set, keeping the score close. Trailing 6-4, the 'Cats used a few mistakes by Penn State and stalwart defense on the back line, along with Paffen's third kill, to go up 9-6 off a 5-0 run.
Penn State called timeout and won the next three points, but another Paffen slam tipped off the hands of Penn State's front line and went out of bounds to give Northwestern its lead back. Dutchman, playing in her final home game, combined with Abbott for another block, extending the Wildcat lead to 13-10.
The Nittany Lions mounted a comeback, but Northwestern held strong until a block by Penn State's Simone Lee knotted the score up at 17. The Lions then won three of the next four points after the timeout, propelling them to a 21-19 lead. Northwestern fought back and tied the score at 23, but Penn State's attack proved too much for the 'Cats as they fell, 25-23.
Tashima finished the night with nine kills, nine digs and 15 assists. Ryan led the 'Cats with 16 helpers and Dutchman had a team-high five blocks.
The Wildcats will wrap up the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 29 with their first-ever trip to College Park, Md. to take on the Maryland Terrapins. NU defeated the Terps, 3-2, during the opening weekend of conference play in September.
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