By Jared Spinelli

The Northeastern volleyball team was all smiles at Solomon Court Tuesday night after the team came back from a 2-1 game deficit against Connecticut to defeat their Husky counterparts three games to two.

Sophomore Whitney Turner and freshman Kira Batura once again led the way for the Huskies. Batura led both teams with 32 digs, while Turner tallied a match-high 21 kills in the NU win.

“It was a team effort tonight,” said head coach Ken Nichol. “I’m very proud of their desire to win.”

Northeastern came out swinging early, taking an 18-6 game one lead, before putting UConn away 30-25 in game one. Game two was a back and forth battle that UConn took 32-30. When UConn also took game three, 30-26, the NU team found their backs up against the wall.

“We had a lot of errors. We were winning the game for them,” said Batura, who also had 10 kills, giving her a double-double for the first time in her young career.

Northeastern didn’t panic, however, and bounced back for a 30-26 game four win, to force a fifth game.

“I always think that we’re going to make it back,” said Turner. “I have that confidence in our team. I thought we did an excellent job.”

Batura thinks a close win like Tuesday night will only help the team in the future.

“I think we played up and down at times. I think the win will be good [for us] this weekend,” Batura said, referencing this weekend’s upcoming trip to Ohio for a tournament at Ohio State University.

Northeastern’s 4-4 record doesn’t necessarily reflect how the team has played thus far.

“I think we’re playing well,” Batura said. “When we lose, we learn. I think we’ll be ready for the conference [matches].”

Batura isn’t alone on her assessment.

“We have a long way to go, but we’re doing pretty good,” Turner said. “We’re going to be really good and come out strong [in the future].”

Certainly setting the team back some has been the injured ankle of freshman Bree Anderson, who has been injured all season and has gone through two surgeries. Anderson has been playing in spurts so far this season, but the team hopes her condition will improve as the season grows.

“It’s been a hassle,” Anderson said. “It’s one of those things where I’m going to have to deal with it. I don’t think about it when I’m out there.”

Joining Batura and Turner in the double-digit kill club against UConn were Larissa Adomat and Ashley Reeves.

“[Reeves] seems to be out there more. She’s been doing real well in practice,” Nichols said. “She did a fantastic job.”

The UConn win comes after splitting two matches over the weekend in the New England Challenge at Solomon Court.

The Huskies swept through St. Peter’s 3-0 Friday night. After winning a close game one 30-28, NU disposed of St. Peter’s 30-12 and 30-16, respectively, in games two and three.

“It took us a little while to figure them out,” said Nichols. “St. Peter’s played a very unorthodox, European-like style. It was a good sign that we could adjust that well.”

Northeastern fell to TCU the next night, however, dropping the match 3-1. Turner once again led the Huskies in the loss, recording 21 kills and 10 digs.

Northeastern doesn’t return to Solomon Court until Tuesday, September 28th, when they host Harvard at 7 p.m.