DURHAM, N.C. – Despite 11-kill performances from senior outside hitter
Erica Staunton and senior middle blocker
Nailah Jenkins, the Northeastern volleyball team (2-4) fell to Duke on Saturday morning in four sets.
Duke def. Northeastern 14-25, 25-19, 18-25, 21-25 (BOX SCORE PDF)
- Set 1: The Blue Devils got off to a quick 6-2 lead, but the Huskies quickly fought back to eventually knot the game up at seven, highlighted by kills from junior middle blocker Marika Virthe and graduate student outside hitter Laura Seeger. Both teams traded points midway through, with a 4-0 run giving the Blue Devils a 14-11 lead. The hosts continued to stretch their advantage, and took the set 25-14.
- Set 2: Both teams traded points early, with neither leading by more than two points. Duke pulled ahead 14-12 midway through after back-to-back kills, but the Huskies rallied right back to knot the score back up. Northeastern pulled ahead late after three straight points, highlighted by a block by Jenkins and a kill from sophomore setter Jessica Frannea to take a 21-18 lead, and won the set 25-19.
- Set 3: Two straight aces from Jenkins propelled the Huskies to an early 5-0 lead, but Duke responded right back to tie the score up. After more back and forth play, a Staunton kill put Northeastern up 16-14, but the hosts quickly evened the contest once again. Duke rallied for four straight points late to take a 22-18 lead, and won the set 25-18.
- Set 4: Led by a 4-0 run, the Blue Devils got off to an early 8-7 lead and didn't look back. Duke scored six in a row to pull ahead 15-10, but the Huskies continued to fight back. The Blue Devils tallied four straight points to go up 23-20 late, and won the set 25-21.
- Senior libero Kayla Martin had a team-high 19 digs.
- Frannea dished out 32 assists.
- Duke outhit the Huskies .271 to .157.
- Staunton tallied double-digit kills in all matches at the Duke Tournament.
The Huskies will host Georgia in their home opener on Friday, September 9 at 5 pm. The match can be watched on
FloVolleyball.
#HowlinHuskies
