Box Score

BOSTON—Senior Hanna Gibeau recorded her first NU career double-double to lead the Northeastern volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-15, 24-26, 25-19, 25-14) victory over CAA rival Delaware on Friday night. The Huskies are now 9-7 on the season and 2-1 in conference play.

Gibeau's performance included a season-best 17 kills and career-high 10 digs. The outside hitter also added a career-best six total blocks, contributing to Northeastern's 21 total blocks on the night.

"Hanna did a great job in all aspects of play, but also executed the game plan extremely well," said head coach Ken Nichols. "She matched up well with her setters and took full advantage of that."

Middle blocker Nichole Kurz also posted a career-high 15 total blocks (three solo and 12 assisted) and seven kills on 16 swings (.312).

Senior Kelly Bacon tallied eight kills alongside 15 digs, while freshman Jamie Bredahl accumulated 24 assists, eight kills and just as many digs.

Libero Natalia Skiba anchored the Huskies' backcourt for the 16th consecutive match this season with 23 digs and added two service aces. Classmate Ina Kamenova threw up 19 assists with five digs and a service ace.

Four kills in the first eight exchanges gave the Huskies a quick 6-2 lead, however, Delaware posted an ace and threw down two kills to push ahead early, 7-6. Northeastern used a 3-1 run to take over, 9-7, but a swat from the Blue Hen's front court and an NU error evened the set, 9-9.

The Huskies posted the next six points thanks to three kills and an ace from Megan Kehoe, forcing UD to call for the first timeout of the match, trailing 15-9. Northeastern was not rattled by the breather and immediately responded with a cross-court swing from Gibeau.

NU allowed just one point before Delaware utilized its final break of the set, behind 20-10. The Blue Hens attempted to take advantage of two Northeastern errors to push their way back into the set, but a double block from Kurz and Bacon sealed the deal for the Huskies as they closed the first set, 25-15.

Errors plagued both sides of the net to kick off the second stanza, but the Blue Hens broke away after landing three kills and two aces. Northeastern took an early timeout, trailing 8-4, and countered with a right-side attack from Bredahl.

A trio of Gibeau swings brought the Huskies to within a single point, but a strong Delaware offense assisted UD to post a four-point cushion. Although NU tied the set at the 14 and 16 mark, it was not enough to regain the lead. Head coach Ken Nichols hailed for a time out, which shook up the Blue Hen's offense. Northeastern took advantage of four Delaware errors to even the set, 24-24, but UD topped off the second set, 26-24, with a huge swing from the outside.

UD jumped on the board early in the third frame, landing two consecutive kills, however, Northeastern was quick to respond when freshmen duo Bredahl and Caterina Rosander teamed up for a pair of swats. Neither team budged in the early goings of the stanza, but two NU blocks between a couple of Bredahl kills prompted Delaware to burn its first timeout of the set, trailing 13-8.

Northeastern broke from the huddle and never looked back as the Huskies used a 7-1 run to build an 11 point cushion, forcing the Blue Hens to take another break. Delaware closed the gap to within five points, but it was not enough to stop NU from taking a 2-1 lead after a 25-19 third-set victory.

Both teams showcased a strong offensive performance in the beginning of the fourth frame, collectively landing seven kills and an ace in the first ten exchanges. A kill from Ava Cramp evened the set for the last time, 9-9, before the Northeastern took the lead. Two swings from Gibeau capped with a Kamenova ace pressured UD to call for a timeout, down 13-9.

The Blue Hens posted the next two points and invaded the Huskies' lead to within two points, 14-12, but Northeastern utilized an 11-2 spread to finish the set, 24-14.

The Huskies return tomorrow when they head to Towson, Md., to face CAA rival Towson at 5 p.m.

A replay of this game is available at GoNU.com/xstream. GoNUxstream is free to all viewers and features live and on-demand video and audio broadcasts, and is accessible on PC and Mac computers, as well as on iPhones, iPads and Android phones.

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