Box Score

2013 Digitial Media Guide

BOSTON - The Northeastern volleyball team responded from a tough first weekend with a 3-1 (25-14, 23-25, 25-17, 25-17) victory over regional rival New Hampshire in the Huskies' home opener on Tuesday night at Cabot Center. Thanks to four Huskies with double-digit kills, Northeastern maintained its home court-winning streak and extended that streak out to 20 matches with the triumph.

Senior outside hitter Kelly Bacon notched her third double-double in four outings with 13 kills and just as many digs. Classmate Nichole Kurz slammed down a match-high 14 kills with a huge hitting percentage of .500. Junior Hanna Gibeau recorded 11 kills while classmate Alex Armstrong turned in another big performance of 10 kills and three blocks. Senior Ava Cramp totaled six kills on 13 swings on Tuesday night.

Rookie Jamie Bredahl continues to impress, finishing with a well-rounded effort of five kills, eight digs, 26 assists and one ace. Senior Ina Kamenova, NU's other setter, lead the match with 27 assists and a team-best three aces. Junior libero Natalia Skiba anchored the defense as always with a match-high 22 digs. Senior Brianna Holls logged a big defensive effort with 10 kills as well.

The Huskies took an early 7-3 lead, landing five kills in the first 10 exchanges. A Kurz kill and a UNH error forced the Wildcats to utilize their first timeout of the set. Northeastern maintained momentum coming out of the huddle immediately forcing three errors followed by a Gibeau kill and a Kamenova ace.

UNH took its final timeout, trailing 20-7, and responded with a single kill. The Wildcats closed the gap to within 13 after Morgan Thatcher landed a kill, but it was not enough to stop the Huskies' attack. Bacon closed the deal, 25-14, with an attack from the outside.

Northeastern took the board first in the second frame, but neither team budged in the early goings. A pair of Cramp kills gave Northeastern a two-point lead at the 7-5 mark, but the Wildcats countered, landing a kill and an ace and tying the set at 7-7. Putting pressure on NU's attack, UNH forced back-to-back offensive errors and took a 9-7 lead.

Both teams entered an offensive dual in the core of the set until consecutive hitting errors pushed head coach Ken Nichols to call for a breather, trailing by two, 17-15.

Northeastern tied it up at the 18 and 20 marks, but efforts fell short as a trio of kills from the Wildcats ended the battle and tied up the contest 1-1.

The Huskies came back fighting in the third stanza and declared early control after landing six kills in the first eight exchanges, posting a 7-1 lead.

New Hampshire closed the gap to within four, but failed to stop NU's attack. The Wildcats forced four consecutive errors once again invading Northeastern's insurance spread, but the Huskies' lead was enough to take the third set, 25-17.

The Wildcats came back fighting and started the set strong with two services aces. Both teams fought neck-and-neck until Bacon landed an attack, shifting control to the Huskies and giving them the 12-11 lead.

A pair of kills from Armstrong and Bacon pushed the Wildcats into their first timeout, down 17-13.

Two errors and an ace from Kamenova forced UNH into its final huddle, but it was not enough to stop Kurz from landing a trio of consecutive hits out of the middle. A Gibeau kill ended the contest in a 25-17 triumph.

Northeastern goes on a six-game road trip beginning with the UConn Invitational in Storrs, Conn., on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 6-7. The Huskies will take on Connecticut on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. before facing Pittsburgh and Albany at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., respectively. NU will finish its road stint in San Diego, Calif., where the squad will face San Francisco, San Diego State and Southern Methodist at the Aztec Invitational.