WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (October 1, 2023) - Spearheaded by a career-best showing from Julia Sangiacomo, Northwestern rallied back from a 2-0 deficit to score a thrilling 17-25, 15-25, 27-25, 25-11, 15-12 victory over No. 17 Purdue (8-5, 2-2 B1G) this afternoon inside Holloway Gymnasium in West Lafayette, Ind.
The victory, which moves the Wildcats to 7-7 overall (1-3 B1G), marks Northwestern's second win over a ranked opponent this season and fifth win over a Top 25 foe dating back to the start of the 2022 campaign.
Comeback ????????????????#GoCats | @B1GVolleyball pic.twitter.com/hZGvsscH3K
— Northwestern Volleyball (@NUVball) October 1, 2023
How It Happened
SET 1 | Coming off a career night of her own on Friday, Averie Hernandez looked to spark the Wildcats' attack in the first set, tallying her first kill to even the frame up at 3-3. Sangiacomo hammered home from the outside shortly after to briefly give Northwestern a two-point edge, 7-5. With the lead sitting at 11-10, Purdue ripped off a 7-0 run, jumping out to a 17-11 advantage on a service ace by Maddie Schermerhorn. The Wildcats pulled back within five, 19-14, on a back-to-back Purdue attack errors, but got no closer as the hosts closed out the first set, 25-17.
SET 2 | Northwestern struggled to settle into a rhythym in set two, falling into an early 8-4 hole. A tandem block from Sangiacomo and Kennedy Hill trimmed the gap to two, 8-6, but Purdue responded with four unanswered points to take command, 12-6, on its way to a convincing 25-15 victory.
SET 3 | Staring at a 2-0 deficit in the match, Sangiacomo powered the Northwestern attack to begin the third set, connecting for three early kills, the last of which put the 'Cats up, 4-2. With the two teams deadlocked at 11-11, a Leilani Dodson slide kill sparked a 5-0 surge, highlighted by two kills from Alexa Rousseau, as Northwestern galloped in front, 16-11. Purdue answered with the afternoon's next four points, quickly trimming the margin to one, 16-15. Dodson and Ellie Husemann each cashed in off Boilermaker overpasses in short order, with the latter's staking the Wildcats to a 22-19 advantage. Purdue again had a response, pulling even at 22-22 on consecutive service aces by Chloe Chicoine. After seeing the hosts fend off a pair of set points, Hernandez ripped back-to-back kills, the last of which sealed a 27-25 victory that kept Northwestern in the match.
SET 4 | Four kills from Sangiacomo over the first five points of set four saw Northwestern race out to a 5-0 lead and never look back. Husemann and Hernandez joined forces for a block to extend the gap to 12-5 ahead of a solo denial from Sangiacomo that made it 18-7 and prompted a Purdue timeout. As was the case in the previous frame, Hernandez kills accounted for Northwestern's final two points to put the exclamation point on a dominant 25-11 triumph, forcing a fifth set.
SET 5 | In search of not only a road win over a ranked oppoenent, but also its first five-set win of 2023, Northwestern found itself staring at an early 6-3 deficit. Sangiacomo continued to attack, trimming Purdue's lead to 8-7 on her career-high setting 28th kill of the day. The Boilermakers responded with three of the next four points, reestablishing a three-point lead, 11-8. Northwestern proved to have the final push, scoring seven of the final eight points. Two Sangiacomo kills fueled a 4-0 tear that was capped off by a Rousseau and Dodson block which put the Wildcats back on top, 12-11. With the score deadlocked at 12-12 shortly after, Sangiacomo finished off her day with consecutive kills, setting Northwestern up with match point at 14-12. Hernandez closed the show, sending her attack off the fingertips of a Boilermaker to close out a 15-12 win and complete Northwestern's comeback.
Game Notes
» Sangiacomo was outstanding, finishing with 33 kills, the second most in a single match in program history, while hitting .400 (33-7-65).
» Sangiacomo's tally from this afternoon surpasses her previous career high of 27, which was last set against Tulane on September 11, 2022.
» Sangiacomo also added four digs, four blocks, and a service ace.
» Less than 48 hours removed from a career-best showing of her own, Hernandez pelted 13 kills.
» Rousseau posted her second double-double in as many matches, totaling 46 assists and a season-high 16 digs.
» Dodson led the Wildcats at the net, accounting for five blocks in addition to nine kills.
» Ellee Stinson finished with a team-high 21 digs on the afternoon, her eighth outing this season with at least 15 digs.
» For the second time in as many matches, Gigi Navarrete reached double figures in digs, posting 13 digs of her own.
» Eva Hudson led Purdue with 17 kills.
Up Next
Northwestern sets off on a two-match road swing through Michigan next weekend, with matchups against Michigan (October 6) and Michigan State (October 7) on the schedule. Friday's 5 p.m. (CT) clash with the Wolverines will be televised live on Big Ten Network.
This article created using technology provided by Data Skrive.