EVANSTON, Ill.- Senior outside hitter Erica Staunton, and graduate student outside hitter Laura Seeger each had double-digit performances, but the Northeastern volleyball team (0-2) dropped a pair of matches on day one of the Northwestern Tournament. 
 
The Huskies fell to UTEP in five sets and Pacific in three sets on the first day of the 2022 season.

UTEP def. Northeastern: 24-26, 25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 9-15

• Set One: The Huskies fell behind 6-2 early, but eventually went on a 4-0 run to go up 9-8. UTEP responded with a 7-0 run midway through the set to take a 15-9 advantage to regain control. The Huskies would fight back and knot the contest 24 after an ace by senior libero Kayla Martin. However, the Miners took the next two points to win the set.
• Set Two: Northeastern fell behind 3-1, but three kills from Seeger put the Huskies back in front. UTEP would later regain a one-point advantage, but the Huskies responded with kills from graduate student middle blocker Nikiya Mitchell, Seeger and middle blocker Nailah Jenkins to go ahead 13-12. Down the stretch, errors by the Miners and a kill by Staunton put the Huskies ahead 21-17. A kill by Jenkins sealed the set win 25-22 to knot the match up at one. Northeastern outhit UTEP .242 to .156 in the set.
•  Set Three: The Huskies got off to a hot start, scoring the first four points of the set, but the Miners responded with the next four to tie it up. Northeastern took a commanding 13-7 advantage after back-to-back UTEP errors, and pushed the lead to 17-10 as Jenkins had a block and two kills during the run. The Huskies remained in control, and held off a late Miner comeback attempt to take the set 25-21.
• Set Four: Junior defensive specialist Maddie Donaphon had three early aces to give the Huskies a quick 9-4 lead in the set. Staunton continued her stellar performance on offense giving the Huskies back-to-back kills to lead 13-6. The Miners responded back with a commanding 10-0 run to take a 19-16 lead, and ultimately the set.
• Set Five: UTEP stormed out to a 5-2 lead, and controlled for the entirety of the set. The Miners outhit the Huskies .143 to -.188, sealing the match with a 15-9 win.
• Martin tallied a team-high 19 digs.
• Freshman setter Natalia Hagopian made her collegiate debut, dishing out 38 assists and 10 digs.
• The match featured 14 ties and six lead changes.

Pacific def. Northeastern: 18-25, 19-25, 23-25

• Set 1: The Huskies fell behind 5-1, but rallied for three straight points to eventually the trim the deficit to 6-4. A 6-0 run for the Tigers ballooned their lead up to 12-4, and they didn't look back. Back-to-back kills by senior setter Liz Carroll and Staunton trimmed the deficit to 16-10, but Pacific held on to take the set. The Tigers outhit the Huskies, .289 to .147.
• Set 2: Northeastern got off to a 4-2 lead following two Pacific errors, but the Tigers quickly shifted the momentum with a 5-0 run to go in front. Pacific continued to extend its lead to 18-12, and took the set 25-19.
• Set 3: Pacific continued to be dominant with an early 9-5 advantage. Staunton remained an offensive force for the Huskies throughout as her 10th kill in the match trimmed the deficit to 12-10, but the Tigers responded back with two quick points. Northeastern rallied back to take a 18-17 lead, highlighted by two straight kills from Jenkins, but Pacific pulled ahead again, ultimately taking a close 25-23 set.
• Staunton had a team-high 11 kills.
• Martin notched 13 digs and four assists.
• Jenkins chipped in with seven kills, two digs, and two blocks.
• Mitchell tallied a team-high six blocks. 

The Huskies will face host Northwestern on Saturday, August 27 at 3:30 pm ET.
 
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