Box Score

2013 Digital Media Guide

DAYTON, Ohio – The Northeastern volleyball team went the distance with Tulsa on Saturday night at the Frericks Center, but the Huskies late run was not enough as TU held on for a 3-2 victory (18-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-14, 9-15) to close out the first tournament of the season.

Newcomer Jamie Bredahl had a breakout performance, recording her first career double-double with a match-best 14 kills and 19 assists. The 5-foot-10 setter missed out on a triple-double by just a single dig. Senior hitter Kelly Bacon turned in another big offensive performance, totaling 13 kills on 39 swings along with seven digs. Veteran Janelle Tucker's seven kills paired well with a big defensive performance of 15 digs. Senior blocker Nichole Kurz and junior Alexa Armstrong combined for seven kills but were a big force up front, stuffing Tulsa nine times between the two.

Junior libero Natalia Skiba led NU's defense with 31 digs while senior setter Ina Kamenova contributed a pair of kills along with 12 digs and a team-best 21 assists.

Tulsa's Kellie Culbertson matched Bredahl's 14-kill performance while Carly Boatwright hit for .409 with 11 kills.

Both teams tried to figure one another out in the early goings after Bacon tied the first set up with an ace, 6-6. On the following play, Bacon missed on the serve and gave way to a 10-7 Tulsa lead.

Tucker's slam coupled with Culbertson's error brought the Huskies within a point, 10-9, but a 4-1 run for the Golden Hurricane capped by Boatwright's kill put TU ahead, 14-10.

On the following play, Valerie El Houssine missed her attempt and the Huskies rattled off the next three points backed by a Skiba ace to knot the game, 14-14. Play continued close in the following exchanges before Ashley Hooper killed two of the next three balls to force Northeastern into a timeout, trailing by three, 19-16.

Tulsa did not let the break bother its effort and the Golden Hurricane ran away with the remainder of the opening frame with a 25-18 win.

The following set started similar to the first after both teams scrapped out to a 3-3 score. Bacon broke the draw with a kill, triggering a 4-1 run to force the Golden Hurricane into a timeout down four, 8-4. Northeastern was able to maintain its advantage throughout the middle portion of the frame before Tulsa countered with a 4-1 run of its own to tie the set up, 17-17. NU head coach Ken Nichols collected his team and calmed them as NU forced TU into three-consecutive errors to reclaim a 20-18 lead.

Tulsa whistled for its second timeout of the stanza, but Tucker, Bredahl, Armstrong and Bacon all had other ideas and tossed down kills to tie up the overall match, 1-1, with a 25-21 second-set victory.

The Huskies took control early in the third set, building a 9-6 lead thanks to an aerial attack from Bacon, Tucker, Bredahl and Kurz. Tucker missed a shot and Tulsa grabbed the next two points to lock it up, 9-9. The two squads traded points to the 13-13 mark, but the Golden Hurricane ran off a 6-2 string to force NU into a timeout as the Huskies trailed, 19-15.

Unfortunately for the Huskies, the timeout yielded a 3-1 run for Tulsa with a Miriele Gobbo and Erica Bohannon block and a Culbertson ace. Northeastern hailed for its second timeout of the third frame, but Bohannon and El Housinne found some open court and Carly Boatwright capped the third-set win with a kill, 25-18.

The fourth set was all Northeastern once Fry broke the 6-6 stalemate. Bacon tossed down another kill and forced TU into a pair of turnovers to put the Huskies up, 11-6. After a quick timeout, Northeastern kept its foot on the gas and posted a 4-1 run to grab a commanding 15-7 lead.

With the eight-point buffer, Nichols put his faith in his rookie class and it delivered. Bredahl smacked down five kills in seven plays to assert her authority. Classmate Caterina Rosander also mustered her first collegiate point, leading into a Kamenova kill and ace to finish off TU, 25-14, to force a fifth set.

Once the fifth set commenced, Northeastern had trouble getting on the board early. Tulsa posted the first seven points in the final set. Even though the Huskies actually outscored the Golden Hurricane to close out the match, TU held on for the 15-9 win in the fifth set to win the overall match, 3-2. 

The Huskies look to rebound and open play at Cabot Center this Tuesday when New Hampshire comes to town for a 7 p.m. showdown. Northeastern puts its 19-game home court winning streak on the line.


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