Northeastern vs. Boston College
The Huskies lead the all time series against cross-town rival BC, 15-10, and they are 4-4 against the Eagles under Ken Nichols. The two schools last met on Sept. 14, 2012, with Northeastern grabbing a 3-1 win to open the New England Classic. Kelly Bacon logged a double-double during that contest with a season-high 21 kills and 15 digs.

Northeastern vs. Harvard
Northeastern holds a six-game winning streak against the Crimson and owns the upper hand with a 26-3 all-time mark. Harvard grabbed its last win over NU on Nov. 5, 1997, with a 3-2 triumph. The Huskies smothered Harvard during their last meeting with a 3-0 sweep on Sept. 15, 2012.

Northeastern vs. St. John's
NU faces St. John's immediately following the New England Classic. Sunday marks the second meeting between the Huskies and Red Storm. The teams first met at the St. John's Kaiser Classic in 2011, with Northeastern walking away with a 3-0 sweep on Sept. 9.

Scouting the Eagles
The Eagles enter the New England Classic after going undefeated at the Columbia Tournament against Columbia (3-2), Fordham (3-0), and Binghamton (3-0). Prior to its success in New York, Boston College also went unbeaten as host of the BC Invitational. BC's only losses came versus UNC Asheville and Western Carolina during its first tournament of the season. Katty Workman leads the Eagles' attack with 169 kills while Madisen Lydon anchors the defense with 155 digs.

Scouting the Crimson
Harvard kicked off its 2013 campaign with a 4-2 start including a 2-0 run at the Harvard Invitational. Although the Huskies did not face Harvard, the Crimson also made an appearance at the Aztec Invitational and left San Diego with a 1-2 record. Harvard enters the New England classic after earning its first sweep of the season against UMass Lowell. Corinne Bain was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week after leading the Crimson at the Harvard Invitational.

Scouting the Red Storm
Wins over Georgia Tech and Troy at the Georgia Tech Courtyard Classic and a home victory versus Fordham this past Tuesday advanced St. John's to an 8-4 overall record. So far this season, the Red Storm have defended their home court with a perfect 3-0 mark. Karin Palgutova, who sits in first place in the Big East in points (5.12) and kills (4.46) per set, has earned weekly Big East honors twice this season. Before heading to Solomon Court on Sunday, St. John's will travel to Smithfield, R.I. to compete in the Bryant Invitational.

Different approach
Going into last weekend's Aztec Invitational, Northeastern had never faced two of its opponents (Southern Methodist and San Francisco). The Huskies will play two teams this weekend (Boston College and Harvard) that they have faced over 25 times.

Home sweet home
Friday's game against Boston College triggers a five-game home stand for the Huskies and will carry NU into the start of conference play. This will be the longest homestretch of the 2013 season for Northeastern. CAA teams have compiled an impressive 22-4 combined record this season when playing at home.

Chart toppers
Libero Natalia Skiba leads the CAA in digs for the third week in a row and ranks third overall in the NCAA. The junior has recorded 262 digs so far this season and leads the conference by an overwhelming total of 54. Kelly Bacon ranks third in the CAA for total kills, accumulating 139 thus far. Middle blocker Nichole Kurz tops the CAA performance chart with her impressive .312 hitting percentage. Setter Ina Kamenova ranks eighth for total assists, tallying .30 assists per set in her first 10 starts. 

Countdown to 300
Ken Nichols is in his 14th season at the helm of the NU volleyball program. During that time, Nichols has amassed a 247-158 record and a 135-56 mark in conference play. Prior to NU, Nichols coached at Providence College. He is one victory shy of the 300-win mark for his collegiate career with a 299-198 (.601) mark.

Back-to-back 20-win seasons
Northeastern finished 20-7 last season, marking its second-straight 20-win season. Since rally scoring came into play, the only other time the Huskies won 20 outings back-to-back was in 2003 and 2004. Ken Nichols is the first coach in program history to accomplish that feat.

Comfort at Cabot Center
NU kicked off the 2013 season backed with a 19-game home court-winning streak. Northeastern's home-opening victory against New Hampshire extended the streak to 20 as NU looks to continue the feat this weekend. The Huskies have not lost a home match since Sept. 30, 2011, against Delaware. The Huskies were the only team throughout the entire CAA to defend home court with an unblemished 11-0 mark in 2012.