Through the first 11 games of the season, I’ve stayed somewhat positive about this Northwestern team. Despite plenty of lackluster play, this column has focused on flashes of Wildcat brilliance rather than the surrounding waves of inexplicable errors.
However, the half-filled cup might have just turned empty as Northwestern’s first two Big Ten games were ones to forget.
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NU hosted USC and UCLA on Thursday and Saturday, losing by a combined set score of 6-0. The ‘Cats lost by a point total of 150-115 over the course of three days and didn’t muster more than 20 points in any of the six sets. One can only hope the California trouncing serves as a wake-up call for Northwestern, as its mistake-riddled effort is not close to the level required to compete in the Big Ten.
The main place to look as a reason for the weekend failures is pretty simple: the errors. Northwestern made 11 service errors and 30 hitting errors across the two games.
Now, before I dive into these stats, let’s take a step back. In volleyball, errors aren’t always bad. In fact, sometimes they are needed. Maintaining an aggressive hitting style keeps opponents on their toes and shows you can go all out on an attack or serve. USC, for example, had 16 service errors and 12 hitting errors in its match against Northwestern; yet, the Trojans’ nine aces and 44 kills – almost double that of NU – more than made up for their mistakes and inspired their domination of the Wildcats. USC played the entire game aggressively and didn’t let mistakes throw off its game plan.
This aside matters because Northwestern isn’t a leader in the Big Ten in errors per game (Nebraska, the best team in the country, ranks third in the conference). However, the Wildcat errors are especially destructive because NU doesn’t employ the confident, high-flying game plan that a team like USC does. The ‘Cats don’t have the athletic freaks that are consistently hitting within the ten-foot line or ripping an unhittable top-spin serve. A big part of Northwestern’s game plan, and why it typically trots out three defenders in the back row instead of an extra hitting option, is to keep the ball in play and stay in the game. The ‘Cats forfeit some aggressiveness for consistency. When that consistency deteriorates, NU is left trotting out a non-aggressive team that is frequently making stupid errors. That’s not a competitive volleyball team.
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Additionally, Northwestern’s errors hurt so much because they happen in the most important moments of games. The ‘Cats missed a serve on match point in the second set against USC to go down two sets to none. They served the ball into the net at 18-17 in the second set against UCLA. They served it out of bounds at 17-15 in the third set against the Bruins and lost all momentum. In close games where every point matters and feels like a bloody and costly battle, late service errors are back-breakers.
Related to the plentiful hitting errors, Northwestern’s lack of offensive firepower was emphasized in the two games. The Wildcats hit a season-low .066 against USC, recording 23 kills with 17 hitting errors. Bella Bullington and Campbell Paris, NU’s two outsides, hit in the negatives as the Trojans’ defense stifled them. Mara Štiglic and Hayley Schaaf were the most productive Wildcat hitters, but inconsistent serve receive and a poor Northwestern block which led to a scrambling defense meant Ellie Stiernagle was rarely put in position to get the ball to her hot hands. The ‘Cats’ hitting improved a little bit against the Bruins – they hit .241 with 40 kills – but Bullington and Campbell struggled once again, severely limiting the multi-dimensional danger of the attack.
The main upside from the two games centers on the first-year middle duo. Schaaf and Maya Stillwell put together back-to-back efficient hitting games and looked competitive on the block. Schaaf hit .375 with four kills against USC and .333 with four kills and two block assists against UCLA. Stillwell had two kills and three block assists against the Trojans and hit .429 with four block assists against the Bruins. The duo continues to shine as a steady bright spot and reflects the program’s upward trajectory.
Štiglic also had two of the better games of her Wildcat career. She hit .333 against USC and .256 against UCLA, amassing 23 kills over the two games, and was NU’s lone option that didn’t seem scared by the quality of the opponent.
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Regardless, for Northwestern to succeed, it comes back to limiting mistakes and avoiding self-inflicted wounds. The ‘Cats must eliminate the errors and keep the ball in play if they want to remain any bit competitive against Big Ten opponents. NU needs to embrace a gritty style of play where opponents walk off the court wondering how they possibly lost, and that starts with reliable hitting and always bettering the position of the ball.
Northwestern’s attempt at revenge starts with another tough challenge on Thursday as it travels to face the 20th-ranked Minnesota Gophers at 7 p.m. CT. The ‘Cats then fly home to square off against an emerging Ohio State team on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT. Both games will be streaming on Big Ten Plus.
