Set Point #7: The basement dwellers
· Yahoo Sports
0-4.
Northwestern’s record in Big Ten play.
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One.
The number of sets Northwestern has won in its four conference games.
18.
The place Northwestern ranks in the Big Ten in the following categories: average points per set, opponent hitting percentage, opponent assists, opponent kills, blocks, service aces and opponent service aces.
The Wildcats are playing like the worst team in the Big Ten in almost every aspect of the game. They have looked totally outclassed against every conference opponent, and the statistics back up their deficiencies. Even in the other important categories I didn’t list – hitting percentage, assists and kills – the ‘Cats rank in the bottom five of the Big Ten. It’s hard to be a competitive team when there’s no single part of the game where you can hold your hat. Some teams emphasize an all-out aggressive attack. Some emphasize ferocity in blocking. Some emphasize a patient offense but griddy and indestructible defense. Right now, Northwestern has nothing.
NU’s two most recent outings came against Minnesota and Ohio State. The Minnesota game was a complete beatdown of the ‘Cats, as they hit -0.036 compared to the Gophers’ 0.407. Northwestern didn’t score more than 15 points in any of the three sets and amassed more hitting errors than kills. Northwestern finished the game with 0 service aces, 19 kills and six block assists. Minnesota finished with nine service aces, 40 kills and 18 block assists. The teams looked as if they were playing different sports as Minnesota walked into Evanston and ripped the hearts out of the ‘Cats.
Yet, it’s hard to pull any big-picture takeaways from such a subdued effort, in which nearly every NU player looked disheartened, so I’m going to move right to the Ohio State game.
The Buckeyes were projected to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten before the season, so on paper the matchup, which took place in Welsh-Ryan Arena last weekend, should have been competitive. Especially in the new era, when the top-15 teams in the conference standings at the end of the year advance to the Big Ten Conference Tournament, the match between two of the conference’s lesser teams was vital to postseason aspirations. The game was must-win for both teams, but only Ohio State was truly prepared and executed consistently.
The Buckeyes defeated the ‘Cats in four tightly contested sets, dropping the second before winning the final two. They hit 0.276 compared to the Wildcats’ 0.221, finishing with 11 more kills, six more aces, three more blocks and nine more assists. As has been the case the entire conference schedule, NU lost in every facet of the game.
A main problem for the ‘Cats was the fact that two of their big-three hitters struggled mightily to break through the Ohio State block. Senior Campbell Paris and sophomore Bella Bullington hit 0.059 and 0.205, respectively, combining for nine errors on their 61 attempts. Paris had a lower usage rate than normal as she only played in two of the four sets – first-year Clara Schramm took a lot of her playing time at outside. Bullington didn’t have the finishing blow she’s flashed at points throughout her career, often trying to force the issue instead of letting the point come to her.
Junior Mara Štiglic had a good game for the ‘Cats, recording 20 kills on her 45 attempts, continuing to serve as the lone consistent NU hitter. Štiglic’s smart ball placement and persistence in attack once again shone through, resulting in an impressive 0.311 hitting percentage. First-year Maya Stillwell was the only other impactful NU hitter, finishing with six kills on 10 attempts. Stillwell’s creativity, fluidity and adaptability are unlike anyone else on the team, and she frequently links up with first-year setter Ellie Stiernagle to find open space on the opponent’s side. Stiernagle finished the game with 37 assists and eight digs.
Northwestern’s back row was up-and-down against Ohio State. It allowed the nine aces and many times struggled to put Stiernagle in good positions, but the ‘Cats also had 63 digs as a team. Nine Wildcats had at least three digs, showing a team effort and group buy-in on the defensive end. Nonetheless, consistent attacks against free blocks ultimately doomed NU and set up OSU’s victory.
Northwestern’s obvious areas for improvement are the same as I say every week. The serving needs to be more aggressive, the serve receive needs to improve, the blocking needs to be just average and the big hitters need to hit big. All of these areas compound and result in a feeble Northwestern team that can’t compete at the Big Ten level.
Things get harder before they get easier for the ‘Cats, as they travel to No. 18 Penn State on Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT to play one of the best teams in the conference. NU then plays Maryland on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. CT in another must-win game against one of the conference’s worst teams. Streaming will be on Big Ten Plus for both matches.