EVANSTON, Ill. – Despite 13 kills from junior Maddie Slater and 33 assists from sophomore Taylor Tashima, Northwestern (10-6, 2-3) fell 3-0 to the No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes (15-2, 3-1) on Friday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
"They're a top-ten team," head coach Keylor Chan said. "We need to work on the little things. Those little errors here and there cost us some close sets. That's the difference between winning against elite teams and not."
The first set was a back-and-forth affair, as Northwestern refused to be intimidated by the ninth-ranked Buckeyes. Maddie Slater led the 'Cats in the early going, powering the offense with six kills in the first set. After Northwestern grabbed a late lead in the game, the Buckeyes closed on a 5-2 run to claim victory.
The Wildcats started hot in the second set, jumping out to a 3-1 advantage before Ohio State battled back to grab the lead.
Slater continued to have the hot hand, with Taylor Tashima racking up double-digit assists for Northwestern.
Despite rallying late to close the gap, Northwestern couldn't quite finish off the comeback as Ohio State took the set 25-20.
Looking to close out the match up 2-0, Ohio State controlled the third set in the early going. Despite a late surge from the Wildcats, the Buckeyes were able to complete the sweep with a 25-18 victory in set number three.
It was a big night for Slater, who chipped in 13 kills to lead Chicago's Big Ten Team.
"She was great. She did everything she could to help her team win," Chan said.
The 'Cats will be back in action tomorrow night against No. 3 Penn State for "Serve's Up Beach Bash" night at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
"They're a top-ten team," head coach Keylor Chan said. "We need to work on the little things. Those little errors here and there cost us some close sets. That's the difference between winning against elite teams and not."
The first set was a back-and-forth affair, as Northwestern refused to be intimidated by the ninth-ranked Buckeyes. Maddie Slater led the 'Cats in the early going, powering the offense with six kills in the first set. After Northwestern grabbed a late lead in the game, the Buckeyes closed on a 5-2 run to claim victory.
The Wildcats started hot in the second set, jumping out to a 3-1 advantage before Ohio State battled back to grab the lead.
Slater continued to have the hot hand, with Taylor Tashima racking up double-digit assists for Northwestern.
Despite rallying late to close the gap, Northwestern couldn't quite finish off the comeback as Ohio State took the set 25-20.
Looking to close out the match up 2-0, Ohio State controlled the third set in the early going. Despite a late surge from the Wildcats, the Buckeyes were able to complete the sweep with a 25-18 victory in set number three.
It was a big night for Slater, who chipped in 13 kills to lead Chicago's Big Ten Team.
"She was great. She did everything she could to help her team win," Chan said.
The 'Cats will be back in action tomorrow night against No. 3 Penn State for "Serve's Up Beach Bash" night at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.