By Tim Foley, news staff
The Northeastern women’s volleyball team competed in two home games this weekend against cross-town rivals Boston College (BC) and Harvard University. The Huskies played a strong match Friday night, defeating the Eagles, but they struggled to take control of Saturday’s match against Harvard, which they lost in four sets.
The Huskies started the weekend with a match against BC (5-5, 0-0 ACC). Before the game, senior libero Natalia Skiba was honored as Northeastern’s all-time digs leader by a crowd that filled out the bleachers at the Cabot Center. During last week’s match against the University of Northern Iowa, Skiba made her 1,889th career dig, breaking the school record previously held by Kira Batura.
“The whole ceremony was unexpected,” Skiba said. “It was definitely exciting. I can’t believe four years have passed by.”
The first set was evenly played. Northeastern closed a five-point gap and tied the score at 20. Two kills from sophomore setter Jamie Bredahl helped the Huskies to pull away, and they won the set 25-23.
“Whether she sets and hits on the right or just hits on the left, we gain a lot,” Head Coach Ken Nichols said. “She’s just the epitome of an athlete.”
The Eagles battled back in the second set. While the two teams exchanged points early on, the BC attack became difficult to defend. Katty Workman, a junior outside hitter from BC, had six of her 22 kills in the second set, and the Huskies fell 25-21.
In the third set, sophomore outside hitter Hannah Fry had four kills for Northeastern. The Pennsylvania native posted a season-best .471 hitting percentage Friday night. Sophomore middle hitter Caterina Rosander had two kills and two blocks, and the Huskies took the set 25-22.
The Northeastern attack landed 19 kills in the fourth set, but BC stuck around, knotting the set at 24. A surge from the Cabot crowd and a kill from Fry helped the Huskies to secure the 3-1 victory. Nichol’s said the crowd had a “huge effect on the last two or three points.”
The win was the third in a row for the Huskies. The women returned to the Cabot Center on Saturday for a match against Harvard University. Northeastern led 21-14 in the first set, but Harvard quickly erased the deficit, tying the score at 21. The Crimson’s front line proved to be imposing, and they took the first set 25-23.
In the following set, the Huskies looked like a different team. Northeastern went on an 11-1 run to take a 14-6 lead. Freshman outside hitter Brigitte Burcescu had five kills and four blocks, and the Huskies dominated the set 25-14.
The Huskies were unable to maintain their dominance in the third set, which was a fierce battle between the two teams. Senior middle hitter Ava Cramp had three kills and two blocks, but the Huskies struggled to remain consistent. The Crimson pulled away late to win the set 25-23.
In the hard-fought fourth set, the Huskies found themselves down 22-20. Three consecutive kills from Burcescu gave Northeastern a one-point lead. Four serves later, though, the Huskies were on the brink of defeat. When a swing from Bredahl was blocked by Harvard sophomore setter Corinne Bain, it appeared that the Crimson had won the match. However, a net violation against Harvard gave Northeastern new life. But Bain had two consecutive kills, and after a long rally the Huskies lost the final set 27-25.
“Honestly I think we did it to ourselves with errors, but they’re definitely a very talented team,” Skiba said.
The Huskies will meet their first Colonial Athletic Association opponent this Friday as they travel to the University of North Carolina Wilmington to take on the Seahawks.
Photo by Kariman Abuljadayel
