Box Score

TOWSON, Md. – After taking a quick two-set lead against James Madison in the CAA quarterfinals on Friday evening, the Northeastern women's volleyball team fell to the sixth-seeded Dukes in a five-set thriller, 3-2 (25-21, 25-22, 23-25, 27-29, 15-7).

Junior transfer Hanna Gibeau paced the third-seeded Huskies (21-6, 9-3), as she recorded a season-high 22 kills to go along with six digs. Kelly Bacon, the 2012 CAA Player of the Year, added 20 kills and 18 digs of her own to the Huskies' cause.

The Huskies opened the first set on a tear by taking a 7-3 lead over the Dukes, but an Ina Kamenova service error brought JMU within two at 9-7. Following kills from Bacon and Gibeau, then a James Madison attacking error opened the NU lead to six at 17-11.

Bacon led the Huskies in the opening frame with five kills, and she also contributed five digs. Jillian Briner found success offensively and defensively in the first set, leading the team in assists (5) and digs (6). Abel paced the Dukes with four kills, and she was aided by Sarah Patterson's team-high six assists.

James Madison took a 5-2 lead out of the gate in the second set, and the Dukes opened the lead up to four at 10-6. Northeastern turned the tables though, going on a 5-0 run to take an 11-10 lead after back-to-back JMU attacking errors. The two squads went back-and-forth after that, and found themselves tied multiple times throughout the rest of the set. Gibeau broke a 22-22 tie with back-to-back kills, and then Nicole Kurz clinched the set with a kill of her own as NU emerged 25-22.

Gibeau led the Huskies with eight kills in the set, which is more kills than the junior had in any match during the regular season. Kamenova had a team-high eight assists in the set, and Skiba led NU with six digs. Bacon continued to build on her solid performance, adding four kills in the frame. JMU was led by six kills from Erb and seven assists from Wiechmann.

The third set began similarly to the first two, with neither team able to pull away from the other. The Dukes turned a 5-5 tie into an 8-5 lead, but the Huskies climbed back within one at 9-8. James Madison continued to hold a small lead until the Huskies knotted the set at 14-14. Northeastern took their first lead of the set on a Briner kill that just found the corner, and a soft Gibeau kill immediately afterward gave NU a 17-15 advantage. JMU would come back to regain the lead at 20-19, and despite the Huskies taking a 23-22 lead, the Dukes emerged 25-23 in the third set.

Gibeau added five kills in the set, and Bacon contributed four of her own. Skiba posted a team-high six digs in the set, while Kamenova notched seven assists and Briner had six assists. Erb was the offensive catalyst for James Madison in the third, accumulating nine kills, and Wiechmann had seven assists to lead the Dukes.

In the fourth set the teams once again started out tied, 5-5. Northeastern opened a small lead, 11-7, by going on a 6-2 run, but James Madison cut their deficit to one at 11-10, and then the teams were tied at 12-12. A Bacon kill gave the Huskies a two-point lead, 18-16, and a Briner kill put NU up three at 21-18. The Dukes regrouped to tie the set, 22-22, but Northeastern had their first match point at 24-23. JMU took the next two points after long volleys to get to set point in their favor, 25-24. James Madison eventually prevailed on an Erb kill, 29-27.

The decisive fifth set was dominated by the Dukes from the get-go, as they held a 4-0 lead, eventually building climbing to a six at 11-5. The Huskies grabbed two more points in the frame, but to no avail as JMU toppled NU in the final set, 15-7. With the loss, Northeastern falls to 20-7 (9-3 CAA) on the year.