By Austin Siegel
EVANSTON, Ill. – Sophomore setter Taylor Tashima racked up 53 assists and Kayla Morin notched 16 kills to help lead the Northwestern attack, but the Wildcats (13-13, 5-10) fell to No. 4 Minnesota (22-3, 14-1) 3-1 on Wednesday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
"Our middles played outstanding today. Offensively, they were just ridiculous," associate head coach Kirstine Jensen said. "Kayla really stepped it up today."
Four Wildcats reached double-digits in kills, as Symone Abbott (14), Maddie Slater (12) and Gabrielle Hazen (11) joined Morin in guiding a successful Northwestern attack.
They were all aided by the setting of Tashima, who averaged 13.25 assists per set, well above her season average of 10.70. She ranks sixth among all conference setters and will almost certainly improve upon that ranking after tonight.
Tashima and Morin each tallied double-doubles on the night. Tashima complimented her assist total with a season-high 16 digs, and Morin added 13 digs to go along with her 16 kills.
The Wildcats bested Minnesota in kills, but the Golden Gophers 15 total blocks were a big reason for the fourth-ranked team in the country being able to escape Evanston with a win.
"We did a really good job being aggressive," Morin said. "I think we have to turn that aggression into smart aggression. They're such a great blocking team so we really have to be smart about where we're hitting."
The first set was a back-and-forth affair and the Wildcats held a late lead before Minnesota secured a comeback for a 25-23 victory.
After Minnesota took the second set 25-19, the Wildcats battled back with the match on the line. In a third set that was basically up for grabs, Northwestern was able to pull away late thanks to several kills from Abbott.
Northwestern held a 12-10 lead midway through the fourth set, but the Gophers used a 15-6 run to close the match out and remain a game ahead of Penn State for the Big Ten lead.
Chicago's Big Ten Team will be back in action on Sunday afternoon, when they take on No. 17 Purdue in a 1 p.m. match at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
EVANSTON, Ill. – Sophomore setter Taylor Tashima racked up 53 assists and Kayla Morin notched 16 kills to help lead the Northwestern attack, but the Wildcats (13-13, 5-10) fell to No. 4 Minnesota (22-3, 14-1) 3-1 on Wednesday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
"Our middles played outstanding today. Offensively, they were just ridiculous," associate head coach Kirstine Jensen said. "Kayla really stepped it up today."
Four Wildcats reached double-digits in kills, as Symone Abbott (14), Maddie Slater (12) and Gabrielle Hazen (11) joined Morin in guiding a successful Northwestern attack.
They were all aided by the setting of Tashima, who averaged 13.25 assists per set, well above her season average of 10.70. She ranks sixth among all conference setters and will almost certainly improve upon that ranking after tonight.
Tashima and Morin each tallied double-doubles on the night. Tashima complimented her assist total with a season-high 16 digs, and Morin added 13 digs to go along with her 16 kills.
The Wildcats bested Minnesota in kills, but the Golden Gophers 15 total blocks were a big reason for the fourth-ranked team in the country being able to escape Evanston with a win.
"We did a really good job being aggressive," Morin said. "I think we have to turn that aggression into smart aggression. They're such a great blocking team so we really have to be smart about where we're hitting."
The first set was a back-and-forth affair and the Wildcats held a late lead before Minnesota secured a comeback for a 25-23 victory.
After Minnesota took the second set 25-19, the Wildcats battled back with the match on the line. In a third set that was basically up for grabs, Northwestern was able to pull away late thanks to several kills from Abbott.
Northwestern held a 12-10 lead midway through the fourth set, but the Gophers used a 15-6 run to close the match out and remain a game ahead of Penn State for the Big Ten lead.
Chicago's Big Ten Team will be back in action on Sunday afternoon, when they take on No. 17 Purdue in a 1 p.m. match at Welsh-Ryan Arena.