BOSTON – Led by junior
Athena Ardila's career day, the Northeastern women's volleyball team motored past Elon on Saturday at Cabot Center, smashing 62 kills during its four-set victory (25-14, 25-27, 25-15, 26-24).
Ardila set a season high with 19 kills in addition to compiling 13 digs, three blocks and a career high, six aces, as Northeastern (11-11, 5-5 CAA) moved into a tie with Elon (11-13, 5-5 CAA) for fourth place in the CAA standings. With Saturday's four-set victory, NU also secured the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Phoenix with three weeks remaining in the regular season.
Nicole Magbanua's 19 digs equated to a career high for her during a four-set match while her fellow back-row senior,
Clare Lund, finished with 16 digs and two aces.
Samantha Shupe notched 54 assists for the Huskies, eclipsing 50 assists during a four-set match for the third time during her collegiate career.
Northeastern served aggressively during the opening set, combining to yield seven aces, including three in a row by Ardila that helped NU claim the early, 12-2 lead.
Natalie Shollin helped the Huskies build on their one-set advantage, connecting on four kills during Northeastern's 7-1, set-opening run. However, Elon soon staged a 14-5 scoring run to work itself back into the match, holding leads at 17-13 and 21-18 before the Huskies regained control of the set at 22-21.
Northeastern had two chances to double its match lead at 24-23 and 25-24 during the second set, but the Phoenix denied the Huskies on both occasions, evening the contest at one set apiece.
Facing a 12-9 deficit during the third set, Northeastern earned three consecutive kills from Ardila to trigger its 16-3, set-closing run that brought NU one set closer to victory.
The Huskies led Elon, 17-12, during the fourth set before the Phoenix proceeded to win 11 of the next 15 points and threaten to extend the match. Ardila made sure to close the door on Elon, recording a kill and a block prior to winning the match with her sixth ace of the day.
Haylie Clark double-doubled for the Phoenix, pairing 12 assists with 12 digs. Kellyn Trowse led all Elon attackers with 10 kills.
