BOSTON – It's the fourth weekend of NCAA Division I volleyball and the New England rivals are out to play. Northeastern moves in on their final tournament before Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play, competing in the 2015 New England Challenge. The Huskies go head-to-head with co-host Boston College on the Eagles' turf Thursday, Sept. 17, at 7:30 p.m., before a doubleheader vs. co-host Harvard University at 1 p.m. and the University of Connecticut at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, both on Crimson court.
The game planIt's the same philosophy as any show for NU and head coach
Ken Nichols: retain lessons learned from one match and carry them on to the next, win or lose. The Red and Black will focus on strategizing and evaluating on the fly. The Huskies have tested their line-ups and expect no breaks these next three matches. "We are more than thoroughly tested," said Nichols, "we know that no one is going to hold back on us."
Conference countdownThe New England Challenge is a good prelude to CAA contest atmosphere for the Red and Black. "You're going to feel a sense of pressure and importance - the air is going to taste a little bit different when you step in the gym with these teams," expressed Nichols to the team. "It will feel a lot like a conference match."
Boston College, Harvard and Connecticut are also closing in on league competition, all opening on Friday, Sept. 25. The Eagles commence Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play vs. Syracuse, while the Crimson begins with Dartmouth in the Ivy League and the (other) Huskies kick-off with the University of Central Florida for the American Conference.
All-time vs. Boston CollegeThe Huskies and Eagles are no strangers, meeting for the 27th time since 1990. Northeastern leads the series 16-10 and has won four consecutive matches over Boston College, including last year's 3-1 victory exactly one year ago on Husky territory.
Eagles in 2014Consistency goes a long way, and in BC's case, it helped the team earn their best ACC record in the last six years, finishing 6-12 in the conference and 11-18 overall. Boston College had several highlights in 2014, including a defeat over Wake Forest, a comeback win over Notre Dame and a series sweep vs. Syracuse. Head coach Chris Campbell graduated three from the maroon and gold, but welcomed back 10 letterwinners this fall and added four new faces.
BC this fallBoston College enters the New England Challenge after a 3-0 win against New Hampshire, breaking their four-game losing streak. The Eagles have managed to out-kill their opponents 468 to 432 with senior Katty Workman on their side, leading the team and ACC in kills per set at 4.14. Running the assists is Mallori Moffat at 9.17 per set, while Madisen Lydon holds down the fort in the back with 3.64 digs per set. Head coach Chris Campbell returns to the Eagles for his sixth season at the helm of the program.
All-time vs. HarvardNortheastern and Harvard are long-time competitors, with contests dating back to 1981. The Crimson broke the Huskies' seven-match winning streak last season in a 3-1 showdown. Despite the loss, NU still controls the all-time series record of 26-5.
Crimson in 2014Last fall was a banner season for the Cambridge team. The Crimson clinched their second Ivy League Championship in program history with a 12-2 finish, the most Ivy wins in program history, and a 19-5 record overall. With a shared conference crown alongside Yale, Harvard lost its shot at an NCAA Tournament berth to the Bulldogs in a one-match playoff. Even so, head coach Jennifer Weiss was named Ivy League Coach of the Year and several players earned league honors, including two returners this season. The Crimson toasted away two seniors at the close of 2014 and welcomed back 11 letterwinners this season, along with four rookies.
This fall for HarvardHarvard enters the New England Challenge hoping to advance their wins after recently cracking a five-game losing streak. The Crimson's offense is paced by Paige Kebe at 2.59 kills per set and Corinne Bain at 2.27. Bain is also the team's assists leader with 115 total at 5.23 per set and is ranked fourth in the Ivy for aces per set. With the defensive block is Christina Cornelius, both a leader in blocks per set for the Crimson and Ivy at 1.41. Also leading Harvard's defense is Sindhu Vegesena, who averages 4.45 digs per set.
All-time vs. ConnecticutThe two teams last faced each other in 2013 at the UConn Invitational. The Red and Black topped Connecticut 3-2 and leads the all-time series 21-12. This year's match marks the seventh meeting all-time for Northeastern vs. the UConn Huskies since NU joined the CAA.
Huskies in 2014With a roster of 14, the Huskies concluded last season 12-19 overall and 4-15 in the American Conference. The team's season was highlighted by graduated Husky Devon Maugle recording her 1,000th career kill, Immanuella Anagu earning American's Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week and a comeback defeat over Houston - all under new head coach Kris Grunwald. Connecticut hit a rough patch in the second half of the season but mustered out two more wins, including a sweep over Tulane, before concluding the 2014 campaign. Grunwald returns for his second go-around with the Huskies after graduating five seniors. This year, he welcomes nine returners and seven new student-athletes.
This fall for UConnUConn stands-by with five wins under its belt, four of which came from a recent winning streak against Bryant, UMBC, James Madison and West Virginia. The team drops into this week's tournament after a 3-1 loss vs. Dartmouth. Driving the Huskies' assists is Emma Turner with 5.43 per set, while Jade Strawberry has tabbed 84 kills thus far this season at 3.0 per set. Helping the team out-dig their opponents is Kennedy Arundel with 120 digs total at 5.0 per set, while Immanuella Anagu contributes defensively with 32 blocks total at 1.19 per set.
Northeastern at ColumbiaNortheastern finished third overall at the Columbia Invitational this past weekend, earning a four-set win vs. NJIT to advance their record to 3-9.
All-Tournament Team honorsBrigitte Burcescu earned Columbia Invitational All-Tournament Team honors last weekend after capping off the invitational with 44 kills, 30 digs, seven blocks and two double-doubles.
National stageCaptain
Jamie Bredahl is currently ranked sixth nationally in triple-doubles, with eight total throughout her career. The junior is currently ranked first in the CAA for the category. Bredahl's most recent triple-double was in the Huskies' first season win, 3-2 against South Dakota State on Sept. 4, with 10 kills, 10 digs and 30 assists.
Brigitte Burcescu stands 13th nationally in total attacks with 469 and 15th in total kills with 164. She's also slated at No. 2 for both categories in the league.
Halfway thereTime has flown by this season as the Huskies will have completed half of their 2015 campaign following their contest vs. the other Huskies, Connecticut.
Reaching for 10Since 2010, head coach
Ken Nichols has led NU 9-1 against New England Challenge opponents Boston College, Harvard and Connecticut. Seven of those wins have been at Northeastern's Cabot Center.
New career-highsCarmen Costa registered a new career-high of 10 kills vs. Columbia last Friday, while
Gabrielle Eyl picked up a career-high of two aces and Laynie Whitehead tabbed a career-high of five kills in the Huskies match vs. American last Saturday.
On the docketThe Red and Black opens CAA competition on home court against Hofstra, Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m. Fans in attendance will enjoy all the perks of Northeastern's pep band and have a chance to win pizza in between the second and third set.
