MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Freshman Rachael Fara made her first career start Wednesday night at Minnesota but looked like a veteran, hitting .375 with nine kills to pace the Northwestern offense.
The defining play for Fara came in the third set with Northwestern up 5-4. The freshman hit an attack off the face of Minnesota's Katie Schau, forcing the Gopher to leave the match.
The Wildcats (10-4, 2-1) were unable to overcome the 16th-ranked Gophers, though, dropping the match in straight sets.
Kayla Morin and Taylor Tashima each scored double-doubles Wednesday night. Morin tallied 10 kills and chipped in 14 digs for Northwestern, while Tashima handed out 36 assists and racked up 10 digs. It was Tashima's fifth double-double of the season and second in a row.
Abbie Kraus kept her ace streak alive with one late in the third set, making it six straight matches that she has served at least one.
Northwestern played fantastic defense at the net once again, holding Minnesota to just a .180 hitting percentage. The Gophers were only able to hit .095 in the third set.
The Wildcats and Gophers were neck-and-neck through much of the first set, but Minnesota pulled away with an 8-1 run to claim the match's first game. Fara paced the offense in that set with three kills in just four attempts.
The deficit never got larger than three for either side in the second. Northwestern trailed 24-21 but brought it back to 24-23 before dropping the set point.
Northwestern was right there in the third game as well but a 5-1 Minnesota run ended the match.
The Wildcats will have another crack at a top-25 team Sunday when they travel to Madison to face the No. 19 Wisconsin Badgers. That match will begin at 1 p.m. and be streamed live via BTN Plus.
The defining play for Fara came in the third set with Northwestern up 5-4. The freshman hit an attack off the face of Minnesota's Katie Schau, forcing the Gopher to leave the match.
The Wildcats (10-4, 2-1) were unable to overcome the 16th-ranked Gophers, though, dropping the match in straight sets.
Kayla Morin and Taylor Tashima each scored double-doubles Wednesday night. Morin tallied 10 kills and chipped in 14 digs for Northwestern, while Tashima handed out 36 assists and racked up 10 digs. It was Tashima's fifth double-double of the season and second in a row.
Abbie Kraus kept her ace streak alive with one late in the third set, making it six straight matches that she has served at least one.
Northwestern played fantastic defense at the net once again, holding Minnesota to just a .180 hitting percentage. The Gophers were only able to hit .095 in the third set.
The Wildcats and Gophers were neck-and-neck through much of the first set, but Minnesota pulled away with an 8-1 run to claim the match's first game. Fara paced the offense in that set with three kills in just four attempts.
The deficit never got larger than three for either side in the second. Northwestern trailed 24-21 but brought it back to 24-23 before dropping the set point.
Northwestern was right there in the third game as well but a 5-1 Minnesota run ended the match.
The Wildcats will have another crack at a top-25 team Sunday when they travel to Madison to face the No. 19 Wisconsin Badgers. That match will begin at 1 p.m. and be streamed live via BTN Plus.