State College, PA - Northwestern forced a fourth set against No. 13 Penn State on Saturday night, but couldn't complete the comeback, falling to the Nittany Lions in four sets.
Temi Thomas-Ailara led the way with 18 kills, adding to her Big Ten-leading total (262 kills) with another impressive performance against Penn State. Hanna Lesiak (12) and Leilani Dodson (10) also posted double-digit kills for Northwestern.
Defensively, the 'Cats were led by first-year Ellee Stinson, who continued her breakout season with a career-high 17 digs in State College.
With Thomas-Ailara on the attack, Northwestern finished off the Nittany Lions in the third set 25-23.
The Wildcats have now taken four sets off ranked opponents in 2021 - the most for a Northwestern volleyball teams since 2015 and less than halfway through the team's conference schedule this season.
The Wildcats return to Big Ten play on Wednesday night in Minneapolis, as Northwestern battles No. 8 Minnesota at 7 p.m.
Temi Thomas-Ailara led the way with 18 kills, adding to her Big Ten-leading total (262 kills) with another impressive performance against Penn State. Hanna Lesiak (12) and Leilani Dodson (10) also posted double-digit kills for Northwestern.
Defensively, the 'Cats were led by first-year Ellee Stinson, who continued her breakout season with a career-high 17 digs in State College.
With Thomas-Ailara on the attack, Northwestern finished off the Nittany Lions in the third set 25-23.
The Wildcats have now taken four sets off ranked opponents in 2021 - the most for a Northwestern volleyball teams since 2015 and less than halfway through the team's conference schedule this season.
The Wildcats return to Big Ten play on Wednesday night in Minneapolis, as Northwestern battles No. 8 Minnesota at 7 p.m.