Box Score

TOWSON, Md. – In a match that saw 10 total lead changes and 30 tie scores, the Northeastern women's volleyball team had a 21-3 Towson team on upset alert on Thursday night, despite being edged out by the Tigers, 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-23).
 
Sophomore middle hitter Caterina Rosander hit for an impressive .316 on the night with seven kills coming on 19 attacks with just one attacking error. First-year teammate Brigitte Burcescu threw down a team-high eight kills while also picking up four digs and three assists.
 
Northeastern has been no stranger to close matches throughout the 2014 season. Thursday's match against Towson was the 12th match the Huskies have played this season where at least two sets were decided by three points or less. Eleven of the team's last 16 sets have also ended with a margin of victory of three points or fewer.
 
Kristen Walding followed recognition as the CAA Rookie of the Week by recording 24 assists, five digs, four kills, and a hitting percentage of .571. Walding assisted on all five of Alexa Armstrong's kills, who also registered three digs and two blocks on the night.
 
Natalia Skiba tacked on 12 digs to lead the Northeastern backcourt, bringing her 2014 season total to 534 digs, which currently stands as the fifth most in a single season in program history. Skiba is also the only all-time Husky to surpass the 500-dig mark in four consecutive seasons.
 
Northeastern (10-15, 2-9 CAA) had difficulty denying the Tiger's Victoria Williams at the net, as the league leader in hitting percentage hit for .632 against the Huskies with 13 kills coming on 19 attacks. Saitaua Iosia belted 21 kills for Towson (22-3, 8-2 CAA), and also netted a double-double with 10 digs in the match.
 
Powerful serving allowed the Tigers to control points right out of the gate in the first set, and back-to-back aces by Iosia capped what was a 7-1 opening run for Towson. However, two straight unforced errors helped bring Northeastern back to life in the first, and an ace by Megan Kehoe provided the Huskies with their fifth straight point to pull within one, down 7-6.
 
Walding ended a side-out battle with her lone ace of the match to put the Huskies up for the first time at 11-10, but the Tigers rattled off four unanswered points to take the lead back at 14-11. Two straight kills by Burcescu fueled a four-point run that saw Northeastern regain command of the set at 15-14, but Towson scored six out of the next nine points in the set to lead 20-18, and cause NU head coach Ken Nichols to call for time.
 
Out of the break, the refocused Huskies clawed back to tie the set twice at 22-22 and 23-23, but kills by Iosia and Lindsay Flaherty awarded the Tigers the 25-23 win.
 
Trailing 2-1 early in the second set, Towson broke through with three kills from Williams, Iosia, and Pa'akaula to pull in front by two, 5-3. Cherylain Dizon helped Northeastern end a streak of 12 straight side-outs with two big swings, and three consecutive errors by the Tigers gave the Huskies a 14-11 advantage.
 
NU kept the three-point edge with Dizon's third kill of the set at 16-13, but Towson returned to its dominant attacking game, landing six kills in ten points to lead 21-19. The Huskies managed to save one set point at 24-22, but Candace Steadman gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead in the match after swinging a kill on the next point.
 
An ace by Ashlee Asada to open the third set followed by a Towson attacking error gave Northeastern a 2-0 edge, and the Huskies maintained a two-point cushion throughout most of the opening stages of the frame. After Towson tied the set at 11-11 and 12-12, NU scored three points in a row to lead 15-12, only to see the Tigers tie the set up again at 15-15 with a three-point run of their own.
 
Northeastern took a 19-18 lead late in the third set, but back-to-back kills by Williams put Towson ahead, 20-19. Two kills by Armstrong and Walding kept the Huskies in the match at 21-21 and 22-22, but the Tigers finished strong with three offensive kills in the final four points to complete the straight set victory.
 
The Huskies will play their final scheduled road match of the year on Sunday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. against the Delaware Blue Hens. NU will then return home to Cabot Center on Friday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. to face Hofstra for the first of four home matches to close out the 2014 regular season.