Box Score

BOSTON—The Northeastern volleyball team kicked off the New England Classic with a 3-1 (25-19, 25-21, 19-25, 25-20) victory over cross-town rival Boston College on Friday night at Cabot Center. Thanks to two Huskies who recorded double-doubles, Northeastern maintained its home court-winning streak and extended the streak to 21 matches with the triumph.

Friday marked the 300th career win for NU head coach Ken Nichols. Now in his 17th year as a head coach, Nichols owns a 300-198 career record, including a 247-158 record in 14 seasons at Northeastern.

Senior outside hitter Kelly Bacon notched a double-double with 13 kills and just as many digs. Freshman setter Jamie Bredahl also added a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs.

Hanna Gibeau recorded 10 kills while classmate Nichole Kurz turned in a performance of seven kills and four blocks.

Libero Natalia Skiba anchored the Huskies' defense with a match-high 29 digs.

Melissa McTighe, Courtney Castle and Katty Workman contributed 35 of Boston College's 47 total kills of the night. McTighe posted a match high .379 attack percentage along side five total blocks for the Eagles.

A pair of early kills from Bredahl helped the Huskies off to a 3-1 start in the first set, but the Huskies surrendered three straight points to forfeit the lead. Facing a 6-5 deficit, NU rattled off five straight kills to reclaim a 10-6 lead, forcing the Eagles to call for their first timeout.

The Huskies retained a comfortable lead for the remainder of the set, staying ahead by at least four until reaching a 25-19 victory with a closing kill by Bacon.

The Eagles had a strong start to the second frame thanks to three quick kills by Courtney Castle. NU broke a 3-3 tie with two straight swings to go ahead, 5-3, before trading the two-point lead with BC.

Northeastern tied the stanza at the 7, 10 and 13 marks, but BC held a lead for most of the set, culminating in a 20-17 advantage. The Huskies took a timeout and rallied with an 8-1 run to take the set, 25-21. NU's run was powered in part by Hanna Gibeau, who recorded five kills in the set after re-entering the game with the Huskies trailing, 8-9.

NU could smell the sweep entering the eliminating set. A Bredahl kill put the Huskies on the board first, but the Eagles responded with a swat from the outside and forced a Northeastern error to take an early 2-1 lead. Another Bredahl attack tied the set, 2-2, but Barbara Gonzalez landed a kill to take over. The Eagles never looked back, owning the lead the rest of the way. BC stayed alive with a 25-19 victory to force a fourth set.

The Huskies dominated the start of the fourth set, taking a quick 4-1 lead, and holding at least a two-point advantage until a BC timeout at the 11-7 mark.

The Eagles put together a 5-2 run following the breather to get back to within one, but back-to-back kills from Bacon sparked a 7-3 Huskies' rally to go ahead by five. The Eagles fired back with three straight tallies, prompting Nichols to hail a timeout with a 20-18 lead.  

NU followed its timeout with a 5-2 closing run capped by a Bacon kill to seal the deal, 25-20.

The Huskies conclude the New England classic with a 7 p.m. match against cross-town rival Harvard tomorrow, Sept. 20.

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