BOSTON – Rallying around senior libero
Clare Lund's 1,000th career dig, the Northeastern women's volleyball team handled Delaware with ease on Friday night at Cabot Center, notching its third straight victory in straight-set fashion (25-23, 25-22, 25-22).
With rallies running short and digs hard to come by, Lund waited until the fourth point of the third set to earn her milestone dig, emphasized by one of
Natalie Shollin's team co-leading, 13 kills. Shollin committed only one error across her 18 attacks, achieving her third highest single-match hitting percentage of the 2019 season (.667).
Athena Ardila extended her double-digit kills streak to eight consecutive matches upon registering 13 kills and 10 digs – the fifth double-double of her junior season.
Nailah Jenkins fired 11 kills on 17 attacks (hit .471) while
Samantha Shupe set 42 of the Huskies' 44 assists.
Northeastern (15-12, 9-6 CAA) overcame its 8-2 deficit to win the first set, totaling 20 kills at a .361 hitting clip.
Erica Staunton recorded the solo block that knotted the score at 15-15 while Shollin delivered three late kills to provide NU with enough separation to take the opener, 25-23.
Despite Delaware (13-13, 5-10 CAA) controlling the lead through the middle stages of the second set,
Evelyn Gonzalez helped the Huskies dart in front at 17-15, serving consecutive go-ahead aces. Although the Blue Hens would battle back to tied scores at 20-20 and 22-22, Northeastern forced the visitors into committing three straight attack errors down the stretch, culminated by Ardila and Shollin's set-clinching block.
After executing an 8-2 scoring run to build the 14-11 lead during the third set, the Huskies allowed the Blue Hens to pull even at 15-15 and remain within range until 21-21. Ardila proceeded to give NU its final lead, following her 13th kill with a clutch ace to send the Huskies onto victory.
Maria Bellinger led Delaware with 11 kills and six digs while libero Andie Hanus made the match high, 17 digs, for the Blue Hens.
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