Box Score

The Northeastern volleyball team led in both kills and digs, but the Huskies ultimately lost in straight sets, 3-0 (26-24, 25-23, 25-17), to host UC Santa Barbara on Saturday afternoon at the UCSB Invitational in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Junior Kelly Bacon posted a team-best 12 kills on 27 attempts and junior Nichole Kurz and sophomore Jillian Briner each chipped in nine apiece to help the Huskies to 41 total on the afternoon. UC Santa Barbara used Leah Sully's match-best 14 kills to help push the Gauchos past Northeastern.

Sophomore libero Natalia Skiba anchored the defense once again, grabbing a match-high 22 digs. Kurz helped out defensively, as well, as the only player on the court with two solo kills. Junior Ina Kamenova's 23 assists led NU in the helper category.

The first set started off tight, but two Briner kills, a dual block by senior Nicole Bishop and Bacon and some USCB attacking errors had Northeastern up four, 9-5.

The Huskies maintained their lead throughout the middle of the frame and forced the Gauchos to hail for timeout trailing by two, 17-15. Out of the break, UC Santa Barbara scored but the Huskies kept heavy pressure on until the end of the set. Briner's successful swat provided a three-point buffer for Northeastern, 19-16, but UC Santa Barbara ran off 10 of the next 15 points to snatch victory out of the Huskies' hands, 26-24. Katey Thompson provided back-to-back kills to overtake Northeastern in the first set.

The second set proved to be another nailbiter coming down to the very last serve.

The Huskies were in control early, leading by as many as six, 9-3. Bacon and Briner tossed it down and also forced several Gauchos' errors to shoot out to the large lead. Skiba's ace and Bishop's kill also factored into that run.

After a Kamenova ace and a Kurz kill, the Huskies achieved their largest lead of the contest, 14-6. UCSB battled back and won the next four points on straight kills to make it 14-10. The Huskies stretched back the lead to five, 17-11, thanks to a Bacon kill, but the Gauchos claimed nine of the next 12 points to lock it up, 20-20.

The two squads traded points to show the score, 22-22, but a Sully kill and ace dashed Northeastern's bid at the second set, 25-23.

The Huskies had the early advantage to start off the third set thanks to a pair of UCSB attacking errors and a Briner bash to go up 3-0.  Bacon stepped up offensively and sizzled the Gauchos for consecutive kills to give the yet another five-point cushion, 6-1.

UCSB responded from the five-point deficit and went on a 7-2 run to lock the set up at 8-8. Two more Northeastern attacking errors gave the Gauchos the lead for good for the match. After senior Jasmine Marta achieved one of her two kills, to keep NU within two, 12-10, UC Santa Barbara used another 7-2 run to put the match out of reach. Sully sealed the victory with a kill from Ali Santi to win the third and final set, 25-17.

Northeastern plays its last match of the UCSB Invitational against Idaho tonight at 8 p.m.

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