By Madeline Sattler, News Staff
At the Duke Classic last weekend, the volleyball co-captains made their presence known combining for 32 kills and 35 digs throughout the three-game tournament in Durham, N.C.
Senior middle hitter Nicole Bishop helped lead the Huskies to a 3-0 victory over East Carolina University on Sept. 7, in which she smashed a season-high 13 kills.
Junior outside hitter Janelle Tucker finished the weekend with 17 kills and 32 digs. Bishop added 15 kills and 6 blocks to her season stats.
Bishop and Tucker are co-captains of the Northeastern squad and have been leading the team throughout the season.
“[Bishop and Tucker] are grateful, they’re coachable and they are committed to the program,” head coach Ken Nichols said.
“[The Duke Classic] was a great experience,” Tucker said. “The atmosphere was a great atmosphere and we came out really strong.”
Bishop is in her second season as a captain. Last season, she recorded 162 kills, seven of which came during the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) semifinal game against Virginia Commonwealth University. Her best game was against the University of North Carolina-Wilmington on Oct. 7, 2011, where she tallied seven blocks and nine kills as part of a winning effort.
“[Nicole] is good at celebrating the big points,” Nichols said. “She understands the balance in a match of when to be loud and proactive and when to be reserved.”
Bishop has also notched a few awards during her time as a Husky. In her freshman season, she was named CAA Defensive Player of the Week once as well as the CAA Rookie of the Week and Northeastern Student-Athlete of the Week. In her junior season, she was named to the Beanpot Classic All-Tournament team.
“I try to work as hard as possible and be as strong as possible,” Bishop said. “My biggest thing is just to enjoy it and not have any regrets about any games.”
Tucker has also had her share of successes throughout her time at Northeastern. As a freshman, she was CAA Co-Rookie of the Year and a member of the CAA All-Rookie and All-CAA Third teams. She was also named to the CAA All-Tournament team after leading the teams with 22 kills and 23 digs in the championship game against the University of Delaware.
The following season, Tucker was a member of the All-CAA First team. She led the team in kills on several different occasions, and finished the season with 302 total.
“Janelle is expected to play rock steady, to not have ups and downs,” Nichols said. “As a staff member, you know how critical she is to our success and I am confident her teammates know that as well.”
As the season continues on, both players hope to work on team bonding and being leaders by example.
“I want to be a leader statistically,” Tucker said. “I hope I can step that up.”
Each captain noted that Northeastern was the clear choice for them when it came to making their college decision years ago.
“It was an instant fit and I clicked immediately with a lot of the girls,” Bishop said. “I felt really welcome.”
Bishop hails from Park City, Utah, where she played for her high school’s varsity team and a club team, Club Utah.
“It was a huge decision for me to come all the way [to Northeastern], but I have really found my niche,” Bishop said.
Tucker came to Huntington Avenue from Encino, Calif., where she spent four years on her varsity high school team. She also spent time playing for the Sports Shack club team.
For Tucker, coming to Northeastern also meant a move across the United States.
“I was trying to decide if I wanted to stay in California and I realized I wanted to experience something different,” Tucker said. “I just love Boston and [Northeastern] is the best volleyball school in the Northeast, so I wanted to come here.”
Both girls can be seen playing at home this weekend in the New England Classic, as the Huskies take on Boston College, Harvard University and the University of Connecticut. Game times are Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 11 a.m. and Saturday at 7 p.m.
