Box Score

Senior captain Nicole Bishop turned in a huge day offensively, helping the Northeastern volleyball team (7-2, 0-0 CAA) sweep its fourth opponent of the season on Friday evening at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. The Huskies finished off East Carolina (1-6, 0-0 C-USA) in three straight sets, (25-13, 25-21, 25-16), to start off the Duke Classic tournament on the right foot.

The Park City, Utah, native registered a season-best 13 kills and chipped in with four blocks and two digs to fuel the Huskies' hot start. Bishop also hit for .500 on the day, finishing second on the club with 22 total attacks.

Sophomore libero Natalia Skiba's 22 digs once again anchored Northeastern's defense. The two-time CAA Defensive Player of the Week and CAA leader in digs this season has accumulated 186 in that category in nine games played. Skiba also slapped down three aces, including the game winner, matching junior Ina Kamenova for a match high.

Sophomore Jillian Briner and Kamenova split up the setting duties, registering 19 and 17, respectively. Junior outside hitter Kelly Bacon recorded eight kills and eight digs while captain Janelle Tucker logged five kills and eight digs. Sophomores Alexa Armstrong and Ava Cramp each contributed four kills. Senior Jasmine Marta contributed with three kills and a pair of blocks.

Northeastern took control from the get-go, claiming a 3-0 lead to initiate the first set and never looked back. The Huskies built a double-digit lead on several occasions late in the first frame and never gave the Pirates an opportunity to get back into the set.

Armstrong's kill ignited the Huskies for the first point of the game followed by a Skiba ace. A Briner ace and Cramp kill distanced Northeastern ahead of East Carolina by five, 6-1. The Huskies five-point advantage stretched out until the score was 11-6, but Northeastern went on a six-point run to claim a 17-6 buffer. Bacon, Bishop and Briner delivered the offense during that spurt and Northeastern ran away with the first set, 25-13. Kurz sealed the deal with a swat from Kamenova to capture the 12-point triumph.

The Huskies' second set was much more closely contested. The Pirates took hold of an early lead and then obtained a two-point edge in the middle of the frame, but Northeastern battled back and emerged victoriously from the second set, 25-21.

Briner broke up ECU's quick 2-0 run to start off the set but Hannah Allgood held the Pirates' lead at two, 4-2, with a quick swat through NU's defense. The Huskies hung tough and gained their first let of the second set, 8-7, by forcing a Whitney Campbell attaching error.

Neither team held an advantage over two points until the very end. Head coach Ken Nichols hailed for a timeout with Northeastern down a point, 21-20. Allgood whacked a wayward serve, triggering a Tucker kill and a dual block from Bacon and Bishop to bestow the Huskies with their first two-point edge of the second set.

Skiba then stepped up to the baseline and jammed down a pair of service aces to cap the second set triumph, 25-21.

Northeastern's third set mimicked the first set; starting off with an Armstrong kill and finishing with a dominating third set win.

The Huskies started with a 7-2 advantage, including three kills Bacon's outside presence. From that point on, the Pirates would only get to within three points, 8-5, before Northeastern slammed the door with more firepower. Bishop's dominating play throughout the match put the Huskies ahead by eight with a vicious kill, 17-9. The two clubs played even on the scoreboard down the stretch, but the Huskies' advantage in the third carried them to victory in three straight sets, 25-16.

The Duke Classic continues on Saturday when the Huskies take on Elon and host, Duke, at noon and 7 p.m., respectively, at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

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