A full offseason and ample new talent should inspire confidence, but how much?
Northwestern volleyball faces a crossroads this season, and head coach Tim Nollan seems poised to get the program back on track. But how lofty should expectations be?
As Inside NU’s Brendan Preisman highlighted last week, Nollan is in full command approaching his second season as NU’s head coach. He has worked throughout the offseason to construct and maintain a successful program, drawing upon his eight years of experience at Grand Canyon University.
While Nollan was hired last season, his place among the Wildcats never felt truly cemented. His offseason was frantic, as he was forced to assemble his coaching staff quickly, grapple with roster turnover and scrape together a team, all without much time for preparation or recruitment.
Nollan lacked the space to firmly stamp his mark and infuse his philosophy within the program. Teams built hastily will get bitten in the Big Ten, which Nollan has touted as “the best league in the country.” Thus, his squad finished with a forgettable 5-23 record and only three conference wins. Improvement was clearly needed and accomplishing that required some time.
Fortunately, Nollan got it this summer. With a full offseason to work with, he has made the most out of these past few months. He found eight new Wildcats, including five transfers, with Ayah Elnady headlining the class as a brand-new offensive machine. Aside from the portal, Nollan fields three freshmen this season, an increase from just two in his first year at the helm. The large number of newcomers stems from Nollan’s recruitment expertise and his success in maintaining NU’s reputation as a desirable destination. His mark has been made.
Much of the roster will look different as Nollan continues to adjust lineups and roles fluctuate. Sienna Noordermeer will take over for Alexa Rousseau as the team’s lead passer, while senior Lauren Carter likely carves out a bigger role as a facilitator. The ‘Cats will also hope for more offensive firepower from senior Buse Hazan, who led the team in kills last season.
Considering everything, what should we expect from Nollan’s team this season? For starters, there’s one word that should echo the locker room halls: improvement.
The ‘Cats are far better set up for success this season. They’ll have an influx of new talent and versatility across the roster — one Nollan and his staff have put ample time and effort into building. The young stars show promise, and as Elnady said during the program’s Big Ten Volleyball Media Day, the team plans to embrace its role as an underdog, recognizing the pressure is on its opponents and exploiting that to gain an advantage.
Big Ten volleyball is ruthlessly competitive, and teams with similarly disappointing records last season are likely hitting the drawing boards and planning to come back stronger next year. But this group of Wildcats is younger, hungrier and has Captain Nollan steering the ship and building a winning culture. Improvement shouldn’t just be the goal — it should be the baseline.
But how much progress can be considered realistic?
After finishing with a 3-17 Big Ten record last year, the Big Ten Volleyball Preseason Poll had NU jumping two spots this season, up from 17th place to 15th place. Based on the 2024 standings, the ‘Cats would need to win two more conference games to make that jump. That should be a reasonable expectation.
While any climb in the standings signifies improvement, Nollan and the players made clear during media day that they are aiming for higher. Cracking the top 10 would be an ambitious goal. Last season, an 8-12 conference record got a team 10th place in the Big Ten, meaning NU would have to win five more games this year if things play out similarly. That improvement would certainly be a jump, but it’s needed to affirm NU’s status as a competitive member of the conference
The talent, versatility, discipline and mentality are there. Nollan’s squad must now prove Northwestern isn’t a team that belongs at the bottom.