Northwestern volleyball sweeps all three Buffalo Classic games

Northwestern volleyball continued its momentous start to the season at the Buffalo Classic tournament this weekend, winning all three of its matchups against Buffalo, Niagara and Cornell. The ‘Cats left the Queen City with an 8-1 record, showcasing the incredible leap the program has taken in 2025 (for comparison, last season NU was 2-7 nine games in).

NU opened the weekend with its second five-set victory in as many games. The first set foreshadowed two aspects of this game: the contentious battle these two teams would have, and the career night from Isabella Bullington. The former is justified by 11 ties and five lead changes throughout the set, with no lead exceeding four points. The latter was shown through Bullington leading the charge for the Wildcat offense, punching seven kills that kept the ‘Cats in the fight and drove them to be the winners of it. Ayah Elnady was also clutch in the final moments of this set with four kills — including the final one — that helped catapult the ‘Cats from down 24-23 to a 28-26 victory.

The second set was one to forget for the ‘Cats, as Buffalo stormed back from a gut-wrenching loss to win 25-14. After Northwestern took an early 4-2 lead, the Bulls scored seven straight points to take control, and followed that with eight consecutive points later in the set to widen the margin.

Set three was essentially the opposite of the previous one, as this time NU took control early and never looked back. The Wildcats did not trail in the set, and after capturing a 6-4 advantage, refused to let the Bulls come within three points of their lead. They finished with a 25-11 score, their most lopsided win of the match thus far. This can be largely attributed to service aces, primarily from Sienna Noordermeer and Lily Wagner, the latter of whom hit a career-high three aces in a row at one point.

Much like the second set, the Bulls again were out in front early in the fourth, opening up a 10-4 lead. But this time, the Wildcats responded, clawing their way back behind kills from Elnady and Bella Simkus to take a 17-16 lead. However, the ‘Cats couldn’t close out the set as the Bulls refused to lie down, winning 25-20 and prompting a winner-take-all final set.

The game’s conclusion was a tale of two halves. While the Bulls jumped ahead early with a 9-6 lead, NU embarked on a comeback similar to the previous set by retaking the lead 11-10. From there, it was a nail-biter as both teams exchanged points and knotted the score at 13 apiece. But an attack error by Buffalo and a punctuating kill from Elnady handed NU a 15-13 thrilling five-set victory, one that would set the tone for the rest of the weekend.

Bullington had a career-high 17 kills in the winning effort, while Elnady added 15. Noordermeer led the team in both assists and digs, with 34 and 13 respectively.

Saturday’s double-header began with a morning meeting against Niagara, who entered this game winless with a 0-7 record. NU made the talent gap apparent from the beginning. After capturing a 13-10 lead in set one, the ‘Cats won eight of the next nine points to jump ahead by ten before wrapping up a 25-12 rout. They achieved this not through a large amount of kills, but more so through consistent offensive pressure, forcing the Purple Eagles into multiple attack errors — mostly caused by tenacious play from Lily Wagner, Noordermeer and Drew Wright.

The second set was closer and featured an uphill climb from NU. Niagara initially retaliated with a 14-10 advantage and pushed the ‘Cats to the wire, refusing to relinquish the lead for most of the set. NU finally knotted it on an ace from Wright, but the Purple Eagles continued to keep the gas pedal on. With Niagara clinging to an 18-16 lead, both teams exchanged points and saw another 23-23 tie. However, kills from Gabrielle Garry and Bullington closed out the most contentious set of the morning, 25-23.

NU wrapped up the sweep with a 25-19 victory in set three, one where it quickly got the lead and never let it go. Campbell Paris led the team with seven kills as NU’s offense revealed its prowess, with 18 kills and a .419 attack. percentage.

The afternoon matchup brought Cornell, who was 3-3 entering the meeting. Northwestern opened a 10-5 lead in the first set and staved off a last-minute Big Red comeback for a 25-22 victory in the opening frame. Three kills each from Reid and Paris helped contribute to the result, while the ‘Cats also forced seven errors from the Big Red.

Set two saw a dominant response from Cornell as they forged ahead with a 13-3 advantage. While the Wildcats later closed the gap and found themselves only down 18-15, the early cushion helped keep the Big Red out of danger as it won 25-22.

The third set mirrored the first one in that Northwestern’s offense took over, this time with a .320 hitting percentage. NU’s advantage started at 5-0 and the margin only became wider, as Bullington’s seven kills helped the ‘Cats continuously put pressure on Cornell’s defense. This was an effective strategy that led to a 26-15 onslaught.

That same method was employed in the final set, with NU once again relying on five kills from Bullington, three from Reid and a .682 attacking percentage to close out a 25-17 win and a weekend sweep that flexed how much the team has grown this season.

Bullington had a weekend to remember, finishing with two double-digit kill performances and a career high .708 percentage against Cornell. Another notable performance came from Wright, who was consistently dominant from the service line with three aces in each game.

Next on the docket for Northwestern is a short trip east to Rhode Island, where the ‘Cats and the Rams will meet on Monday for an afternoon road match.

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