📹 | Thursday's win against Merrimack featured the long-awaited return to the floor for senior Katie Rolfe.

Head coach Lenika Vazquez touches on the deeper side to the #HowlinHuskies' victory: pic.twitter.com/yeHwesHEq7

— Northeastern Volleyball (@GoNUwvolleyball) February 26, 2021

📹 | The reigning CAA Offensive Player of the Week was on her game tonight.

Erica Staunton (20 K, 28 TA, .643 HIT%) chats with FloVolleyball's @danmcloughlin47 after the #HowlinHuskies' straight-set win against Merrimack: pic.twitter.com/7KbZJzPa1p

— Northeastern Volleyball (@GoNUwvolleyball) February 26, 2021

BOSTON – Backed by sophomore Erica Staunton's career-high tying 20 kills on Thursday night, the Northeastern volleyball team sprinted away from Merrimack in three sets at Cabot Center: 25-14, 25-17, 25-13.
 
Staunton – the reigning CAA Offensive Player of the Week – landed 20 of her 30 total attacks for kills, committing two attack errors to sport the dominant .600 hit percentage. The second-year outside hitter helped NU command the 46-14 advantage in total kills as the Huskies collectively achieved their highest team hitting percentage since the 2012 season (.407).
 
Nailah Jenkins clicked again for Northeastern (3-1), scoring five kills on six attacks while accounting for two solo blocks in the middle. Brianna Daphnis followed Staunton's lead with eight kills while Gabrielle Tschannen dropped five kills for the Huskies as well.
 
Samantha Shupe and Liz Carroll split Northeastern's setting – Shupe (24 assists) handled the first and third sets for the Huskies while Carroll (10 assists) took over during the second set. Sophomore libero Kayla Martin also led all players with eight digs.
 
Facing the early 5-2 deficit during the opening set, Northeastern clawed back to draw level at 7-7, soon rushing out to the 13-8 edge courtesy of six consecutive kills. Defne Arliel brought the Huskies' first set kill count to 17 before fellow rookie Maddie Donaphon dialed up her first of three aces as NU ran away to the 25-14 victory.
 
Northeastern's fiery attack spilled over into the second set, where the Huskies scored 10 of the opening 12 points. Despite Merrimack (0-2) staging a six-point run midway through the set to slide within 17-15, NU regained its form, closing by winning eight of the set's final 10 points (five kills, one block, two aces).
 
After shuttling out to third set leads at 5-0 and 10-5, Northeastern soon tacked on a 13-3 scoring run to put the match away.
 
Maegan Hladick led Merrimack with six kills while Brooke Leestma served three of the Warriors' six aces.
 
#HowlinHuskies