WINSTON-SALEM, NC. – The Northeastern volleyball team (0-2) dropped a pair of matches on day one of the Wake Forest Invitational on Friday. The Huskies battled against Toledo, coming up short in five sets, and then fell to Grand Canyon in three sets.

Toledo def. Northeastern: 25-22, 19-25, 25-18, 22-25, 12-15

• Set One: The Huskies got off to a strong 12-5 lead after back-to-back kills from Marika Virthe and Abby Reck. Northeastern remained in control for majority of the set, holding off a 5-0 run by the Rockets down the stretch that trimmed the advantage to 23-20. Reck paced the Huskies with four kills in the frame, two of which helped Northeastern win 25-22.  
• Set Two: Toledo stormed out to a 11-5 lead, but the Huskies chipped away at the deficit. The Huskies notched five straight points to make it a 21-16 frame, but the Rockets continued to remain in front, and ultimately took the set 25-19.
• Set Three: The Rockets got off to a quick 7-2 lead, but Northeastern fought right back. Kills from Anabel Zier and Defne Arliel made it 8-8, and then the Huskies pulled in front 10-9 off Toledo errors. Northeastern then went on a 5-0 run, propelled by two kills from Reck to go up 19-13, and the Huskies held on winning 25-18.
• Set Four: The teams traded points for most of the set, with neither leading by more than one until the halfway point. Toledo began to pull ahead up 17-14, but the Huskies immediately tallied three straight points to tie the frame up. Toledo responded back to take a 19-17 advantage and held on taking the set 25-22.
• Set Five: Two service aces by Tessa Onaga helped the Huskies notch an early 3-0 advantage, but immediately the Rockets responded right back with three straight points. Northeastern pulled ahead by one at multiple times in the set but couldn't keep the momentum. A kill by Virthe tied the frame up at 12, but Toledo ended the set on a 3-0 run to seal the match win.
• Reck had a strong collegiate debut, leading the Huskies with 13 kills. Arliel also notched double digits with 11 kills.
• In her Husky debut, Zier notched nine kills and a team-high seven blocks. Julianna Truscott also made her Northeastern debut, tallying seven kills and a team-high 18 digs.  
• Ava Wallis also had stellar collegiate debut, notching a double-double with 26 assists and 11 digs.
• The match featured 25 ties, and 12 lead changes.

Grand Canyon def. Northeastern: 25-16, 25-17, 25-19

• Set One: Grand Canyon stormed out to a 18-5 lead and didn't look back. The Huskies chipped away down the stretch, and made it a 21-14 frame, but the Lopes remained in control to take the set 25-16.
• Set Two: The two teams traded points to start the set, with the Huskies leading 9-7 after a service error. After a kill from Arliel to make it 9-8, Grand Canyon then went on a 6-0 run to lead 15-8. The Huskies had a late rally with four straight points to make it 21-17, but the Lopes closed the frame with four of their own to take the set 25-17.
• Set Three: Northeastern and Grand Canyon went back and forth, with neither team leading by two points early on. A block by Virthe knotted the frame up at 10, but Grand Canyon notched a kill and ace to take a 12-10 advantage. The Lopes pulled away down the stretch with four straight points to go up 24-18 and took the set 25-19.
• Arliel led the Huskies with 10 kills.
• Virthe chipped in with nine kills and a block.
• Jessica Frannea dished out a team-high 29 assists.
• Onaga notched a team-high 13 digs and two service aces. 

The Huskies will face host Wake Forest to close out the invitational on Saturday, August 26. First serve is slated for 5 p.m. and will stream on ACCNX.
 
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