BOSTON – In their last out-of-state tournament, the Huskies travel to New York City, for the Columbia Invitational. NU will begin the tournament with a doubleheader first against host Columbia, Friday, Sept. 11, at Noon, followed by American at 4:30 p.m. The Huskies close out the invitational with NJIT on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 4 p.m.
Chalk talkComing off a five-set win over the University of Massachusetts Lowell, the Red and Black will focus on metering and measuring aggressiveness during matches this invitational.
Head coach
Ken Nichols expressed the team will evaluate knowing when and how to dial it up during a match en route to victory, and maintaining those factors as the team heads into Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) competition late September.
Huskies in tournament playThe Columbia Invitational will be Northeastern's third tournament of 2015. The Huskies opened at the Falcon Classic, hosted by the U.S. Air Force Academy, and came away with two set wins and four match losses. NU saw their first season win in the Stephen F. Austin Invitational last weekend, Sept. 4-5, against South Dakota State, 3-2, and hope to extend their wins this invitational.
UMass Lowell recapThe Huskies earned their second win of the season on Tuesday night against UMass Lowell. The team opened the match leading the first set but were down in the second and third. Thanks to a dominating offense, the Huskies rallied back for the win, 3-2.
All-time against ColumbiaFriday afternoon's contest will be Northeastern and Columbia's first meeting in 20 years. The 1995 contest ended in favor of the Huskies, 3-1.
A look at the LionsColumbia checked out of last season with an 8-15 overall record and a 4-10 finish in the Ivy League. Head coach Brie Katz returns for her second season at the helm of the program this fall. The Lions graduated one lone senior and returned 15 letterwinners to the roster this year. Five first-years joined the pack in New York, rounding out the Lions' 20-person roster. Last season, Columbia's best asset was their blocks, out-blocking opponents by 28.5 total with 2.1 blocks per set.
The Lions are led by two captains, including Bailey Springer, an offensive leader with 22 kills at 2.44 kills per set. Alongside Springer is co-captain Zoe Jacobs with 25 kills under a 2.78 kills per set average. Offensively, Cassie Wes maintains an average of 4.45 digs per set and has already picked up 49 digs this season. Ensuring the Lions' offense goes off without a hitch is Alex Andrejev with 71 assists at 8.88 per set.
All-time against AmericanFriday afternoon's contest will be Northeastern and American's first all-time meeting. The Huskies are 40-10 against Patriot League opponents.
A look at the EaglesAmerican hopes to continue their domination in the Patriot League after picking up 12 of the last 14 conference championships. The Eagles closed out 2014 as the regular season and tournament champions with a 26-7 overall record and a 15-1 record in the league. The team played Dayton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year, resulting in a 3-1 loss. Head coach Barry Goldberg enters his 27th season with the Eagles and recently earned his 650th career win. AU's key starters for this fall include Monika Smidova in the setter's spot, offering 8.83 assists per set with 212 total and Hoakalei Dawson covering the back line with 3.29 digs per set and 79 total thus far. Offensively, Allison Cappellino leads with 2.75 kills per set and 66 total.
All-time against NJITSaturday afternoon's contest will be Northeastern and NJIT's first all-time meeting.
A look at the HighlandersAfter a 13-22 season last fall, NJIT stands at 2-4 thus far in the 2015 campaign, entering the invitational hoping to extend their two-game winning streak. The team from Newark, New Jersey, played as an independent in 2014 and enters this fall as a first-year member of the Atlantic Sun. Under head coach Peter Volkert, the team returned 11 letterwinners and added four new faces this season. Danica Vukotic leads the team in several categories, including kills per set at 3.85. She is currently ranked second in the category for the Atlantic Sun. With the blocks is Jovana Baosic and at hand for the offense is Emily Krachenfels with 175 total assists at 8.75 per set.
Huskies in fiveNU has played three, five-set matches already this season, which have ended on the bright side twice. The first five-setter was against South Dakota State in the Stephen F. Austin Invitational, followed by the Huskies' recent win over the UMass Lowell River Hawks.
Big-time achievementsKristen Walding earned her 1,000th career assist on Tuesday against the UMass Lowell River Hawks. Walding has appeared in all 35 sets for the Huskies and is currently second on the leader board with 4.89 assists per set.
Brigitte Burcescu also reached a milestone during Tuesday's match, picking up her 500th career kill. The sophomore is currently ranked fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association for kills per set with 3.30.
Category leadersThree Huskies currently stand in the top three for two or more categories.
Carmen Costa is a leader in three categories for NU, including kills with 43 total at 1.54 per set, aces with eight, and blocks at 13.
Jamie Bredahl leads in assists with 176 at 5.03 per set, and sits in the top three for defense with 77 digs and third in serves with six aces.
Brigitte Burcescu still maintains the offensive attack with 120 kills total at 3.43 per set, and contributes consistently to defense with 16 blocks.
On the horizonThe Red and Black will compete in their final tournament of 2015 - the New England Challenge, Sept. 17-19. The Huskies will see Boston College, Harvard, and Connecticut in the hometown tournament before heading into their first CAA competition, Wednesday, Sept. 23, against Hofstra at 7 p.m. on home court.
