BOSTON – After North Carolina A&T (5-7, 0-1) stole the opening set, the Northeastern volleyball team (3-8, 1-2) responded with a vengeance, storming back to take control of the match and winning the final three sets to down the Aggies on Friday night at Solomon Court, 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-12).
The Huskies hit .278 as a team, including a .441 clip in the fourth set, powered by a balanced attack that saw three players reach double-digit kills.
Cayenne Ceman and
Valentina Meirelles each finished with match-highs of 17 kills, with Meirelles hitting .317 while also chipping in nine digs.
Emma Rowell added 11 kills and three service aces, and
Beatrice Gennari was the most efficient hitter on the floor, going 6-for-12 with no errors for a .500 clip.
Arina Sosinovica orchestrated the offense with 53 assists, and libero
Iris Canko anchored the back row with 19 digs and a stellar .947 reception percentage.
Set 1: North Carolina A&T 25, Northeastern 23
Northeastern struggled out of the gate, hitting just .143 (12-7-35) in the opener. The set featured 11 ties and eight lead changes as neither team could pull away. Northeastern led 21-19 late after a Zariah Winton attack error, but A&T closed on a 6-2 run to escape with the 25-23 win. Tyne Ross led all hitters in the set with six kills, while Winton added five.
Set 2: Northeastern 25, North Carolina A&T 19
The Huskies flipped the script offensively, jumping to a 15-11 lead and hitting .379 for the set. Ceman was dominant, piling up six kills, and Meirelles added five more. The Aggies hung around, closing the gap to as little as 19-16 before NU closed on a 6-3 run to take it.
Set 3: Northeastern 25, North Carolina A&T 20
Northeastern came out hot again, racing to an 8-3 lead behind two service aces from
Aven Crosby. After A&T methodically clawed back, a 5-0 run fueled by
Gabby Reeves off the bench ballooned the Huskies lead to 20-13. Ross and Winton kept the Aggies within striking distance late, but Northeastern closed it out 25-20, with Ceman and Meirelles again pacing the attack.
Set 4: Northeastern 25, North Carolina A&T 12
Northeastern put the match away in dominant fashion, hitting a blistering .441 while limiting A&T to just .172. The Huskies never let up, extending the margin to as many as 15 behind
Emma Rowell (three kills, two aces in the set) and
Beatrice Gennari, cruising to a 25-12 finish to close out the match.
The Huskies and Aggies will close out the weekend series on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Solomon Court (FloCollege).
