Box Score

BOSTON— The Northeastern volleyball team got a quick start at the Aztec Invitational with a first-set victory on Friday night, but the Dons fought back and won three-consecutive frames to claim a 3-1 (25-22, 24-26, 13-25, 19-25) win at Peterson Gym.

Freshman Jamie Bredahl recorded her third double-double this season tying a team-best 11 kills and 21 assists. Hanna Gibeau continued her strong showing on Friday also posting 11 kills alongside a service ace and two digs.

Senior Kelly Bacon notched 10 kills while junior Alexa Armstrong chimed in with seven swats and a team-high three bocks.

CAA Co-Defensive Player of the Week Natalia Skiba anchored the team's defense adding  23 digs with assistance from Bacon who contributed nine.

Valentina Zaloznik led San Francisco's offense with a match-high .500 hitting percentage after landing 19 kills. Sophie Kuehl and Anja Segota patrolled the backcourt accumulating 12 digs each.

Four kills and Kamenova ace gave the Huskies an early 7-4 lead to kick off the first set. A Nichole Kurz swing from the middle and a USF error prompted San Francisco to utilize its first timeout of contest, trailing 11-7.    

The Dons responded by landing a pair of kills to bring the score to within two, 12-10, but the Huskies used a 4-1 run to take control the rest of the way. In an attempt to widen the gap, Bredahl tossed down two consecutive spikes up front, but a strong offensive performance from USF tied the game at the 21 mark.

Bacon set the tempo for the rest of the set after posting kill and a service ace and forcing the Dons to take their final break. A kill from Gibeau and Armstrong topped off a first-set victory for Northeastern, 25-22.

Errors plagued Northeastern's side in the early goings of the second stanza. After consecutive Zaloznik kills moved the Dons advantage to 8-4, head coach Ken Nichols burned his first timeout.

A trio of Bacon kills and a San Francisco error tied the frame, 8-8, and sparked a back-and-forth offensive battle in the core of the set. NU and USF traded points until a Gibeau kill and consecutive aces from Megan Kehoe gave the Huskies a four-point lead, 23-19.

Despite the gap, the Dons rallied to claim the next seven-of-eight exchanges and win the second set, 26-24.

San Francisco carried its momentum throughout the third frame, never trailing thanks to a Zaloznik kill and a series of NU errors in the first five exchanges.

Following Northeastern's first breather, the Dons posted a 5-0 spurt to build a nine-point advantage, 14-5. NU and USF exchanged kills until the Dons recorded a trio of hitting errors to bring the Huskies to within five. Still ahead 16-11, San Francisco called for a timeout to break NU's momentum. 

The Dons threw down five kills following the huddle to expand the gap, 20-12, and held Northeastern to just one point in the final exchanges of the set. A swing from Zaloznik rounded out a third-set victory for USF, 25-13.

Northeastern took a quick 6-3 lead to kick off the fourth frame thanks to a pair of kills from Bacon and Kurz and a Bredahl ace. The Dons tied up the contest at the 6 and 8 mark and regained control after a trio of swats at the net. Trailing 9-12, the Huskies utilized their first timeout, but would not take the lead for the remainder of the set.

USF used a 6-2 run to force another breather at the 18-12 mark, but it was not enough to prompt a recovery for the Huskies.

In an attempt to invade San Francisco's cushion, Northeastern landed three kills and an ace, but a USF kill from the outside sealed a 3-1 victory for the Dons.

The Huskies return to Peterson Gym this afternoon for a pair of matches with host, San Diego, at 3 p.m., EST followed by an 8:30 p.m. contest against Southern Methodist.

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