By Emily McCarthy, News Staff
The Northeastern volleyball team wrapped up regular season action this weekend at the Cabot Center with a sweep of the College of William & Mary on Sunday following a Friday night loss to James Madison University. The Huskies, who hold the No. 2 seed heading into next weekend’s Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) tournament, finished the season with a 10-4 conference record and an overall record of 18-10.
Friday’s match against the Dukes of James Madison University began with a 25-19 first set victory for Northeastern. JMU bounced back in the second set, dominating the Huskies and cruising to a 25-15 win.
James Madison came out strong in the third set. After a lot of back and forth action, the Dukes went on a 5-1 run and forced Northeastern to call a timeout, trailing 16-11. JMU won the next point coming out of the huddle and continued to lead the rest of the set, eventually winning 25-20 and taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
Northeastern jumped out to a 5-1 advantage to begin the fourth set. James Madison tied the set at 10, but the Huskies pulled away and took a commanding 20-12 lead. The Dukes closed in on the Huskies, bringing the score to 24-23 in Northeastern’s favor. A kill from senior outside hitter Kelly Bacon finally closed out the set and gave NU the 25-23 victory.
With the match tied at two sets apiece, James Madison took command of the elimination set and stifled the Huskies’ efforts at a come-from-behind win. The Dukes won the fifth set by a score of 15-5, earning the 3-2 match victory.
Northeastern looked to bounce back from the loss and end the season with a win as they took on William & Mary in the final match of the 2013 regular season.
Sunday afternoon’s match against the Tribe was also senior day for the Huskies. Before the match, NU celebrated the contributions of seven seniors. Outside hitters Hanna Gibeau, Janelle Tucker and Kelly Bacon, middle hitters Nichole Kurz and Kat Gueth, setter Ina Kamenova and defensive specialist Brianna Hollis were all recognized for their Northeastern volleyball careers.
Head coach Ken Nichols praised his team’s composure in the 3-0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-22) win following the emotional pregame ceremony.
“Sometimes you can wonder how it’s all going to play out because the emotions are so high,” he said. “But I think this group – because of their maturity, because of everything we saw in them during the recruiting process from the beginning, because they picked a school like this, because of co-op – they’re so good at handling these kinds of circumstances and it really paid off today. They were very mature and very composed.”
The first set began with a kill from Bacon, which marked the first of many great plays from the Northeastern seniors in the match. The Huskies dominated the first set and won by a decisive 25-12 score. In the second set, Northeastern continued its strong play as the seniors took control of the frame and went on to win 25-21.
The Huskies looked to complete the sweep, but found themselves trailing 6-5 early in the third set. The Tribe pulled away, widening the lead to 17-9 and forcing NU to take a timeout. A kill from Bacon coming out of the break sparked a comeback for the Huskies as Northeastern closed in on William & Mary’s lead thanks to three kills from senior Gibeau. Another kill from Kurz, also a senior, tied the set at 21.
With the score tied again at 22, a long serve from the Tribe gave Northeastern the 23-22 advantage. A kill from Bacon to push the set to a match point brought the crowd to its feet at the Cabot Center. Kurz finished off the set on the next point with a kill, giving the Huskies the 25-22 victory. They won the match 3-0, ending the regular season on a high note.
“It was just amazing to have a sweep as our last game on the court,” said Tucker, who posted eight kills in the victory.
“It’s been a ride, that’s for sure,” she said of her Northeastern volleyball career. “Emotional, but amazing. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I couldn’t have picked a better fit for myself and it’s just been an incredible experience. We’ve had an awesome four seasons and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
The Huskies will now head to Charleston, S.C. for the CAA tournament, which begins on Nov. 22. Northeastern will play at 4 p.m. on Nov. 23 against the winner of the University of a North Carolina Wilmington/William & Mary match.
Kurz said that ending the season with a sweep says a lot about the Huskies.
“We definitely want to win next weekend and this just shows what we can do,” she said. “We’re really excited.”
