Set Point #7: The basement dwellers

Northwestern's record in Big Ten play is a mere one win out of four games. The Wildcats rank last in several key categories: average points per set, opponent hitting percentage, assists, kills, blocks, service aces, and opponent service aces. In every aspect, Northwestern appears to be the worst team in the conference. Even in other critical categories like hitting percentage, assists, and kills, Northwestern lags behind the bottom five in the Big Ten.

There seems to be no single strong area in Northwestern's game. In their recent games against Minnesota and Ohio State, Northwestern suffered significant losses. Against Minnesota, the Wildcats hit only -0.036, scored 19 kills in total, and made more hitting errors than kills. Minnesota dominated with 9 service aces, 40 kills, and 18 block assists.

The Buckeyes, projected to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten, faced off against Northwestern in a must-win game for both teams. The Buckeyes won 4-0, outscoring Northwestern 11-6 in kills, 6-0 in aces, 3-0 in blocks, and 9-0 in assists. Northwestern's struggles were evident in every facet of the game, particularly with their two big hitters, Campbell Paris and Bella Bullington, struggling against Ohio State's block.

Junior Mara Štiglic had a strong performance, hitting 20 of 45 attempts and maintaining a 0.311 hitting percentage. Maya Stillwell was Northwestern's other impactful player, with 6 kills. The back row was inconsistent, allowing many aces and struggling to position the setter well. Northwestern's main areas for improvement include more aggressive serving, improved serve receive, average blocking, and stronger hitting from their big hitters.

As they travel to No. 18 Penn State and then face Maryland, Northwestern faces tougher challenges ahead.