Box Score

The Northeastern volleyball team (6-2, 0-0 CAA) salvaged a .500 record out west after dispatching Cal Poly (1-4, 0-0 Big West) in straight sets on Sunday afternoon, 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-19), in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Junior Kelly Bacon notched double-digit kills for the sixth-consecutive outing, slamming down a match-high 11 kills. Classmate Ina Kamenova logged a double-double after doling out 13 assists and recording 12 digs. Sophomore Jillian Briner and juniors Janelle Tucker and Alexa Armstrong each posted seven kills on the day.

Sophomore libero Natalia Skiba maintained her grasp on the Huskies' defense, notching 16 digs for a match best.

Northeastern dominated the box score, outkilling the Mustangs 46-32 along with seven aces to Cal Poly's one. Up front, the Huskies stuffed Cal Poly seven total times while the Mustangs mustered just one block.

Sunday's match was not part of the UCSB Invitational, but played in the Thunderdome as a neutral match.

The Huskies never trailed in the first frame, setting the precedence early. Armstrong and senior captain Nicole Bishop hammered down the first two points of the match. Tucker followed suit and worked the sidelines for two-straight kills to force the Mustangs into a timeout with the Huskies leading, 7-4.

Cal Poly sewed up the first set via Bacon's wayward attack, but Northeastern ran off five of the next seven points to go back up three, 14-11. The Mustangs tied it up again at 16 all, but the Huskies turned up the pressure and went on a 9-3 to win the first set, 25-19.

The second set was all Northeastern. The Huskies limited Cal Poly to just 13 points, marking a season best.

After a 4-4 deadlock, the Huskies claimed 14 of the next 16 volleys to take control and go up, 18-6. Bacon triggered the run with a kill followed by services aces from Skiba and Briner. After a Cal Poly timeout at 11-6, Briner served up six straight points for the Huskies. Sophomore Ava Cramp blasted a pair of kills during the 6-0 run. The Mustangs hailed for their second timeout after Northeastern went ahead by 12, 18-6, but Northeastern's firepower was too much for Cal Poly to handle. Cramp sealed the deal with a kill from Briner to polish off the second set.

Northeastern's third set was closely contested, but the Huskies grabbed a five-point buffer midway and never looked back.

Bacon tied the third stanza up with a kill at 7-7 and once again was the catalyst for a 6-2 run in favor of Northeastern.  Bishop put away one of her seven kills to give Northeastern a five-point edge, 15-10. Both teams played even down the stretch, but NU's advantage kept the pressure on the while way and Armstrong's successful swing closed out the three-set sweep for Northeastern with a 25-19 win.

Northeastern enters its third tournament of the season starting on Friday, Sept. 7 against East Carolina at the Duke Classic in Durham, N.C. The Huskies and Pirates collide at Cameron Indoor Stadium starting at 5 p.m. The following day, the Huskies take on Elon and host Duke at noon and 7 p.m., respectively.

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