Match Information: Northeastern (0-0) at Boston College (0-0; 0-8 Fall 2020)
Date & Time	Saturday, Feb. 13  |  7 p.m.
Location	Chestnut Hill, Mass.  |  Power Gym
Broadcast & Statistics	Stream:  ACC Network Extra  |  Live Stats
Game Notes	Northeastern (PDF)
Social Media	Facebook:  GoNUwvolleyball Twitter:  @GoNUwvolleyball Instagram:  GoNUwvolleyball Use #HowlinHuskies

 

📹 | Exciting things happen whenever the #HowlinHuskies cross paths with their crosstown rivals. 💪😤

Head coach Lenika Vazquez shares her excitement for leading NU into Saturday's 2020-21 season opener at Boston College: pic.twitter.com/od75cVc0A0

— Northeastern Volleyball (@GoNUwvolleyball) February 13, 2021

BOSTON – Eagerly awaiting its return to competition, the Northeastern women's volleyball team will trek across town on Saturday, Feb. 13, as the Huskies open their 2020-21 season against Boston College at Power Gym. Saturday's match will air live on ACC Network Extra with coverage beginning at 7 p.m.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW
1. The Vazquez Era:  Saturday's match will mark a year and eight days since Lenika Vazquez was named the 11th head coach of the Northeastern women's volleyball program. Vazquez joined the Huskies after a four-year head coaching stint at Canisius, where she led the Golden Griffins to consecutive runner-up finishes in the MAAC and the program's first-ever league championship match appearance in 2018. Prior to her success at Canisius, Vazquez was the assistant coach at Butler (2012-15) and held head coaching posts at South Suburban College (2010, 2011) and Chicago State (2005, 2007, 2008). She graduated from Southern Illinois, where she was a four-year defensive specialist for the Salukis. Vazquez hired Northeastern assistant coach Adam Kessenich in April 2020.

2. The NU-BC Rivalry:  Northeastern carries a three-match series winning streak into Saturday's tilt, including its straight-set victory at Boston College during the 2016 season. As near-annual rivals, the Huskies and the Eagles have squared off during 11 of the last 13 seasons with NU prevailing on eight of those occasions since 2007. During the programs' most recent meeting in 2018, Northeastern witnessed then-sophomore Samantha Shupe set 53 of the Huskies' 61 kills as NU rolled to the four-set win at Cabot Center: 25-19, 25-21, 23-25, 25-16. However, the series' spring 2021 rendition will introduce a number of new faces into the Northeastern-Boston College rivalry as Shupe is one of only five players on both current rosters who appeared during the teams' 2018 match. The Huskies and the Eagles will also return to Power Gym on Feb. 20 for the second of two spring season matches.

3. Back in Red and Black:  Northeastern returns a youthful lineup from its 2019 squad that finished fourth in the year-end CAA standings and advanced as far as the league quarterfinal round. Sophomore outside hitters Erica Staunton (241 kills, 2.56 per set) and Evelyn Gonzalez (192 kills, 1.92 per set) are primed to be the Huskies' leading attackers this spring with Staunton riding her 2019 CAA All-Rookie Team honors. Senior setter Samantha Shupe (8.03 assists, 2.14 digs per set) will co-run the NU rotation with sophomore Liz Carroll (3.86 assists per set) while three freshmen begin their rookie seasons in red and black: outside hitter Defne Arliel (Istanbul, Turkey), defensive specialist Maddie Donaphon (Newtown Square, Pennsylvania) and middle blocker Marika Virthe (Orlando, Florida).

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