BOSTON – It's the second round of Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play for the Northeastern women's volleyball team and the Huskies are opening the series on home court with a back-to-back matchup vs. Charleston Friday, Oct. 23. NU will also host UNCW on Sunday, Oct. 25 for a 1 p.m. show.
Road warriorsThe Huskies finished their five-match, five-state road campaign against Charleston, 3-1, and are eager to pick things back up with the Cougars, having not played a match at Cabot Center since Sept. 27. The road series ended with no wins for NU, but the team won each of their five, extra-point sets against their CAA opponents. The trip marked the first time since the program's first season with the league (2005) that NU had five consecutive road matches in five different states (Maryland, Delaware, New York, Connecticut and Virginia).
Ground to coverFollowing Thursday's practice, assistant coach
Matt Soderstrom said the team worked on nailing down needed adjustments to take on the Cougars again. "The Team is in good spirits, a couple of injuries, but that's nothing a team hasn't gone though," he said.Assistant coach
Margo Jones also added the Huskies are excited for this second round of conference play, especially at home.
Beyond 25The Huskies have pushed nine sets to extra points in seven matches this season. Of the nine stanzas, NU has won six. The Huskies' last three matches have gone beyond 25 points in the second, third and fourth set. The most recent extra point showdown was against CofC, 31-29, in favor of NU.
Dizon hits 700Cherylain Dizon achieved 700 career kills vs. Delaware on Oct. 18. To date, the senior has garnered 283 kills with the Red and Black after transferring to the university last season.
Heading for 100Laynie Whitehead is rounding the corner of 100 kills this weekend, having amassed 91 kills in her debut season with the Red and Black. The Coralville, Iowa native registered a new season and career high of 12 kills against Delaware on Oct. 18.
League leadersJamie Bredahl,
Ashlee Asada, and
Brigitte Burcescu each own a spots in the CAA's top-10 for statistical categories. Bredahl claims No. 3 for total assists (465) and No. 5 for total aces (25), while Asada sits at No. 4 for total digs with 297 and Burcescu ranks No. 5 for total kills at 291.
All-time vs. CharlestonThe Cougars have come out on top 5-1 all-time vs. the Huskies since becoming a CAA member in 2013. NU is one of only three teams to have defeated the South Carolina team in the league.
Last time out vs. the CougarsThe Huskies returned from Charleston in the wee hours of Wednesday following a four-set loss against the Cougars. The Huskies pushed CofC to the limit in the second set, 31-29, but struggled to pull out another win in the third and fourth. The match leaders were:
Jamie Bredahl | 23 assists
Ashlee Asada | 17 digs
Brigitte Burcescu | 12 kills
Caterina Rosander | 4 blocks
Current state of CharlestonCharleston sit at 12-10 overall, 3-2 away and 4-4 in the CAA. Prior to their win over NU, the Cougars took a 3-1 loss against Towson, and are looking to extend their wins en route to their 15th consecutive conference title in head coach Jason Kepner's ninth season with Charleston. The Cougars' leaders are:
Kills/set | Melissa Morello | 3.85
Assists/set | Allison Beckman | 9.41
Digs/set | Britney Vallez | 4.53
Blocks/set | Kayla Tronick | 0.98
All-time vs. UNCWNU continues to lead the all-time series at 16-3, despite a five-set loss to UNCW earlier this month. The Huskies have won nine of the 19 matches against the Seahawks at Cabot Center, with the most recent one being Sept. 23, 2013 in a three-set show.
Last time out vs. the SeahawksThe Huskies opened their five-match road series with UNCW on Oct. 2 and claimed the first and third set, but came up short vs. the Seahawks, 3-2. The match marked NU's sixth, five-stanza contest of 2015. NU earned 60 kills, and both teams tallied 55 assists and 60 kills backed. Those numbers were backed by:
Kristen Walding | 37 assists
Ashlee Asada | 18 digs
Brigitte Burcescu | 16 kills
Carmen Costa | 16 kills, 4 blocks
Jamie Bredahl | 14 assists, 3 kills
Current state of UNCWUNCW enters their second round of CAA play at No. 3 in the conference (6-2) with an overall record of 15-5. The Seahawks are coming off a 1-3 loss against James Madison (Friday's match results not available at time of publication) but were able to lock in four straight conference wins prior. Head coach Amy Bambenek enters this weekend one away from her 100th career and Seahawks win. UNCW's statistical leaders are:
Kills/set | Nicole Lott | 3.62
Assists/set | Alyssa Desjardins | 6.70
Digs/set | Lindsay Hartmann | 4.13
Blocks/set | Anna Moss | 1.43
"NU-thing" but loveThis season, the Huskies share what it is about Northeastern volleyball that keeps them coming back.
Taylor Reiter said: "I love NUVB because the people on this team are an extension of my family and I wouldn't be able to do this without them."
Reiter's one word for NUVB: Exhilarating.
One word for NicholsWhen asked to describe head coach
Ken Nichols in one word,
Jamie Bredahl said: caring. Nichols enters his 16th season with the Huskies, serving as the program's longest tenured coach. With 24 years of coaching under his belt, Nichols has lead Northeastern to 13 winning seasons and has amassed 275 wins with program.
Coming upThe Huskies will compete against Hofstra in Hempstead, New York on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m., before a three-match series back in Boston.
