Box score

Northeastern moved to 2-0 on the season after taking care of Central Connecticut State, 3-1, in the Huskies' home opener as part of the Beanpot Classic at Solomon Court.

Three Huskies headlined the scoring sheet for the second-straight outing as sophomores Janelle Tucker and Kelly Bacon and newcomer Jillian Briner each registered a double-double in back-to-back matches.

Tucker led Northeastern with a team-best 13 kills and notched 12 digs while Bacon picked up 12 kills and 11 digs. Briner logged 11 kills and 25 assists while second-year setter Ina Kamenova recorded a club-high 28 assists. Freshman Natalia Skiba directed the Huskies' defensive efforts with 26 digs on the day.

Junior Nicole Bishop and Briner were Northeastern's representatives on the Beanpot Classic All-Tournament team. Bishop registered 14 kills and eight blocks while Briner totaled 18 kills, 17 digs and 42 assists in the two-game effort.

In the first game, the Blue Devils crept out to an early 2-0 lead, but the Huskies battled back with three-consecutive points with Tucker accounting for two attacks. CCSU tallied the next two points and each squad swapped points the next nine exchanges to bring the count to 8-8. Tucker and Kamenova combined for NU's next two to snatch back its two-point edge, but Central Connecticut stayed in through the middle of the match, battling the Huskies back and claiming a 14-12 advantage thanks to three blocking points from Sara DeLacey, Jennifer Waddill and Danielle Gasser.

Northeastern head coach Ken Nichols opted for a timeout, but the Blue Devils moved the score out to 17-14 in their favor after some strong attacking at the net. Bishop registered a strong kill to end CCSU's three-point run, 17-15, triggering a 6-4 run for the Huskies with an ace from Skiba to knot the score, 21-21.

In the final stretch of the first set, Nichols called another timeout with the score deadlocked at 23-23. Bacon charged out with a kill, but CCSU held strong and stretched the match out to a 28-26 victory after Jamie Rademacher and DeLacey sealed the deal with a dual block, 28-26.

Starting off game two, Northeastern wasted no time jumping out to a 3-0 edge with a Tucker kill and Nichole Kurz and Briner block to highlight the early moments. CCSU clawed back to make it 4-3, but the Huskies ran off seven-consecutive points to claim a commanding 11-3 advantage. Bishop and Bacon displayed monstrous kills while the Blue Devils had three-straight attacking errors.

Blaike King ended NU's streak with a kill at the net, but the Huskies rattled off another flurry, attacking for five-consecutive points to force a CCSU timeout with the score reading 16-4.

Waddill curbed NU's spell but the Huskies came at Central Connecticut with another four-point run, including kills from Kurz and senior Lauryn Ciszek with another Skiba ace mixed in for a 20-5 Northeastern advantage.

The Huskies closed it out with a 25-11 victory as Briner, Ciszek and Bacon all had a hand in the Huskies' offensive attack at the net down the stretch.

The third set was closely contested out of the chute as both teams tussled to an 8-8 stalemate. Northeastern was down, 3-2, but four-straight points for the Huskies boosted them back to a 6-3 lead.

After each team traded points to 10-10, Northeastern rattled off three straight thanks to a nicely placed touch by Ciszek and a big slam from Tucker for a 13-10 NU cushion.

Central Connecticut State hailed for a timeout, but sloppy play on the Blue Devils' behalf bestowed the Huskies with an 18-12 lead. Briner secured a pair of points with a nice touch at the net along with a vicious spike. Blaike King registered two of the next three points for Central Connecticut, but the Huskies offense came on strong as Tucker's swing lead Northeastern to a 25-16 victory in game three.

Northeastern was the beneficiary of sloppy play from CCSU as the Huskies gained a 6-1 lead to start the fourth set. The Blue Devils had four-consecutive attacking errors to help NU to its buffer.

CCSU went on a 5-2 run, but Bishop curbed CCSU's advances with a strong spike at the net. Bishop's kill elicited four of the next five points for Northeastern, leading to a 14-7 pad for NU. Kamenova and Tucker plastered CCSU with respective aces, forcing the Blue Devils to call timeout as the Huskies held the 19-11 advantage.

Central Connecticut's breather paid off, scoring on four of the following five exchanges, but Bacon's blast right through the middle of the Blue Devils' defense regained the momentum for the Huskies, leading to a 25-17 triumph to claim the match. Tucker closed it out with a successful swing as Northeastern claimed the 2011 Beanpot Classic.

Northeastern continues its non-conference tournament slate with a west coast swing as the Huskies make their way to San Diego to take part in the University of San Diego Invitational. Northeastern will clash with the hosts on Friday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. (PST). On Saturday, Sept. 3, Northeastern meets Missouri State at noon (PST) followed by a contest against UC Riverside at 5 p.m. (PST).

Due to the cancellation of the final match of the Beanpot Classic (Holy Cross at Northeastern), the tournament champion will be determined when the Huskies battle the Crusaders on Sept. 17.

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