HAMILTON, N.Y. -- Northeastern volleyball and UAlbany went the distance in a five-set battle at Cotterell Court on Sunday, with the Great Danes edging the Huskies 3-2 (25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-11) in the finale of the Ellis Rowland Memorial Tournament.
Neither team could pull away for long. UAlbany took the opener by a narrow 25-23 margin before Northeastern answered right back, 25-22, to even the match. The Great Danes reclaimed the lead with a 25-21 win in the third, and the Huskies again refused to go away, forcing a fifth with a 25-22 win in the fourth. UAlbany finally created some separation in the decider, closing out the match 15-11.
Emma Rowell led Northeastern with a match-high 21 kills and 22.5 points, while Brynn Smith was right behind her with 15 kills and 17.0 points to go with a team-high 14 digs. Beatrice Gennari chipped in 6 kills at a .278 clip, and Kaylin Daniels added 6 kills of her own with 3 blocks.
Setter Sofia King orchestrated the offense throughout, dishing a team-high 31 assists, while Arina Sosinovica provided a steady presence running the second unit with 4 kills of her own. Defensively, libero Iris Canko paced the Huskies with 16 digs.
The match lived up to its billing as a nip-and-tuck affair from start to finish — 14 tie scores and 8 lead changes across the five sets — with neither side ever building real separation until UAlbany's push in the fifth. Northeastern actually edged the Great Danes in kills for the match, 62-61, a testament to how competitive every set was.
Northeastern opens Coastal Athletic Association play Friday, taking on Towson at 2 p.m. at SECU Arena.
