Box Score
2013 Digital Media Guide
DAYTON, Ohio – The Northeastern women's volleyball team fell victim to a come-from-behind effort from Missouri State, 3-2 (22-25, 25-21, 25-20, 22-25, 9-15) in the Huskies' season-opening tilt in the first game of the Dayton Invitational at the Frericks Center.
After rallying back in the fourth set to force a final frame, the Bears took control from the get-go and never looked back.
Reigning CAA Player of the Year senior
Kelly Bacon picked up where she left off from last season and was the lone netter in Friday's match to attain a double-double. The Temecula, Calif., native logged 14 kills alongside 12 digs to pace Northeastern's effort.
Classmate
Janelle Tucker returned to form with a match-high 16 kills and missed out on a double-double by a single dig. Junior
Alexa Armstrong broke out in her first match of the season, connecting on 8-of-19 attempts (.368) and chipped in a pair of blocks. Fourth-year middle blocker
Nichole Kurz tied for a game-best six blocks (four solo, two assists) and slammed down six kills.
Rookie
Jamie Bredahl made her impressions felt in her Huskies' debut, chipping in nine kills, eight digs and a pair of service aces. Junior libero
Natalia Skiba returned to form defensively, anchoring Northeastern with a match-best 23 digs.
Missouri State's Kaitlin Jaeger landed 14-of-30 swings (.400) while Amber Doolittle and Olivia Brand each recorded 12 kills apiece.
At the start, Northeastern picked up a quick lead off of a Missouri State service error, but that was the only lead the Huskies would hold until the middle of the opening set.
Bredahl button it up with her second-collegiate kill, 10-10, forcing the Bears to rattle off five-consecutive unforced errors. Missouri State called for a timeout and Kayln Vlasin ended the skid with a spike, sparking a 5-1 Bears' run.
NU head coach
Ken Nichols hailed for a timeout trailing by a point, 17-16, but Missouri State utilized another 5-1 run to take a 22-17 lead. The Huskies burned their final timeout and closed the gap to within two, 23-21, thanks to an Armstrong and Cramp kill sandwiched around a Bredahl ace. Yet, the Bears advantage was too wide in the first set and Olivia Brand finished off Northeastern with a swat through the middle for the 25-22 win.
The Huskies took an early 4-1 lead in the second set after a series of errors from the Bears' offense. Missouri State quickly recovered, and after a strong offensive battle, tied the set at 10-10.
Back-to-back kills from Armstrong forced the Bears into a timeout trailing NU, 15-12. MSU came out of the huddle and once again tied up the contest with three consecutive kills.
Northeastern took control of the set, dominating in the final points, to claim a second-set victory, 25-21.
Seven kills in the first nine exchanges gave Northeastern an early 9-5 lead to kick off the third set, forcing Missouri State to take an early breather. The Bears tightened the gap to within three, 11-8, with a trio of consecutive kills, but failed to tie the score.
Kills from Tucker and Bacon and a pair of errors from the Bears' attack forced MSU to take its final timeout of the set. Missouri State recovered and rallied in the latter part of the frame with seven kills, triggering Nichols to hail for NU's first timeout while still ahead, 20-18.
Following the timeout, Tucker landed a kill that was immediately backed by a Kamenova ace. The Bears' offensive run fell short as the Huskies forced an error to win the third set, 25-20.
Northeastern appeared to have clear control of the fourth set after Armstrong set the precedent with a strong swat to the corner to put the Huskies up, 4-3. That kill triggered a four-point spurt for NU, capped by another Armstrong attack.
The Bears were coerced into a timeout and Doolittle ended the Huskies streak with a kill from Thomas. Following that point, Missouri State committed four-consecutive errors to give Northeastern the 11-5 buffer.
After a Jaeger kill cut NU's advantage to 16-13, the Bears used a 5-2 run backed by an Elise Munroe ace to tie it up, 18-18.
Bacon brought the lead back to Northeastern's side with a successful swing, 21-20, but Missouri State's attack came on strong in the finale and finished of the Huskies with a 5-1 run to tie the match up, 2-2, thanks to a 25-21 win.
Missouri State controlled the fifth set and never looked back. Errors on both sides plagued the scoreboard before Christine McCartney's kill put MSU ahead, 3-1. Bacon slammed down another ball on the following play, but a McCartney kill followed by a pair of NU errors put the Bears up, 6-2.
Northeastern closed in on Missouri State's four-point margin once again later in the final set, 12-8, but more unforced errors by Northeastern paired with McCartney's kill closed out the victory for Missouri State with a 15-9 triumph in the final frame.
The Huskies return to the Frericks Center tomorrow afternoon for a pair matches with host, Dayton, at 12:30 p.m. followed by a 5:00 p.m. matinee with Tulsa to close NU's first tournament of the season.
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