Box Score

The Northeastern women's volleyball team outlasted William & Mary in a five-set marathon on Friday night in Williamsburg, Va., and battled to win a 3-2 (25-18, 25-12, 22-25, 28-30, 15-13) match.

The Huskies (19-5, 8-2 CAA) had taken the first two sets of the match comfortably by a combined score of 50-30. The Tribe (13-11, 5-5 CAA) fought back, winning the third and fourth sets by three and two points, respectively. In the final set, however, NU would emerge to spoil William & Mary's Senior Night, clinching the victory on a Tribe attacking error.

Senior captain Nicole Bishop led the Huskies with a career-high 18 kills in her third to last regular season contest and chipped in three total blocks. Northeastern received double-doubles from sophomore Jillian Briner (32 assists, 13 digs) and junior Kelly Bacon (16 kills, 12 digs), while sophomore Natalia Skiba posted 26 digs and junior Ina Kamenova tallied 27 assists. Senior Jasmine Marta and junior Hanna Gibeau also contributed seven kills apiece as NU had a season-high 64 kills as a team.

Dessi Koleva and Paulette Grand Pre each recorded double-doubles for William & Mary, as Koleva had 17 kills and 12 digs while Grand Pre had 12 kills and 11 digs. Molly Krull notched 31 assists and eight digs, and Celine Alasomuka led the Tribe with 14 digs.

The first set opened with the two sides deadlocked at 9-9, before an ace from junior captain Janelle Tucker and two straight William & Mary errors gave the Northeastern a 12-9 lead. The Tribe then chipped away at the visitors' lead, eventually tying the set, once again, at 16-16. A Bishop kill kicked off a 9-2 run for NU, who closed the set on a service ace from Gibeau, 25-18. Seven different Huskies posted a pair of kills in the opening frame, while Grand Pre led all players with four kills in the set.

After a Koleva kill began the second set to give William & Mary a 1-0 lead, Northeastern seized momentum, going on a 9-1 run to take a 9-2 lead. The Huskies, behind five kills from Bishop and a .500 team hitting percentage, never looked back and won the set 25-12. Defensively, the 12 points conceded by NU were the team's fewest allowed in a second set all season. Junior Brianna Hollis closed out the set with a pair of service aces, giving her five aces in her last two games.

The Tribe jumped out to an 11-4 lead early in the third set, which included five William & Mary kills as well as five Northeastern errors. The Huskies still trailed by seven, at 16-9, but then proceeded to go on an 11-5 run to get within one, 21-20. After taking a timeout, the Tribe got three of their next four points on kills from Shaylin O'Connell to take the third set, 25-22.

The fourth set opened back-and-fourth, with the teams tied at 8-8. William & Mary took the next four points to lead 12-8, and held onto that lead until a Bacon kill evened the set at 24-24. Koleva recorded a kill to gain the Tribe another set point at 25-24, but Bacon once again stepped up to tie the set at 25-25. Northeastern found themselves with a chance to close out the set and the game with a 27-26 lead after a Marta kill, and then with a 28-27 lead after a Bishop kill. Both times, however, the Tribe took the following point and eventually clinched the set, 30-28, on a Liz Brown kill.

In the final frame, the Huskies took a 4-1 lead on three William & Mary errors and a Bacon kill, but they would relinquish that lead when the Tribe knotted the score, 7-7, on a Koleva kill. Bishop stepped up to provide Northeastern with two of their final five points to win the set, 15-13, and the game, 3-2.

The Huskies will close out their regular season next weekend with visits to James Madison and George Mason on Friday and Sunday, respectively.