By Tim Foley, news staff
Following a strong end to the preseason, the Northeastern University women’s volleyball team came off a week of rest and dazzled the home fans with wins against the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) and the College of Charleston to reach a four-game winning streak.
The highlight of Friday’s Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opener against UNCW was outside hitter Amy Underdown’s performance. The second year posted 28 kills in the match — a number that has not been achieved by a Northeastern player since Lauren DeTurk in 2008. Head coach Ken Nichols called it a “Herculean effort” from Underdown.
“You’ve got to be doing something special, because not only are you getting the kills, but the other team knows you’re a hot hitter,” Nichols said. “[Underdown] is very capable from the pin and can affect the outcome of a match in a number of different ways.”
The Huskies (9-6, 2-0 CAA) had to rebound after dropping the first set, 25-22. A 5-1 run gave Northeastern an early lead in the second, and the advantage would prove to be important as the Seahawks (6-8, 0-2 CAA) battled back.
Two late points for UNCW made it close, but Nichols called a timeout as the Huskies still held a 24-23 lead. First-year setter Samantha Shupe landed a kill to end the set and even the match at 1-1.
The Huskies won all three sets by a margin of two points, displaying the team’s ability to perform under pressure.
“Being able to battle, especially in the very first conference game, says a lot about how much we’ve grown through preseason,” third-year libero Gabrielle Eyl said in an email to The News. “To be able to come out against UNCW and play hard in tight sets and not be deterred by the pressure but instead use it to our advantage and come out on top was huge.”
The third set displayed more dominance from Underdown, who landed nine kills, two of which gave set point to Northeastern and put pressure on the Seahawks.
The UNCW women responded with three straight points, but the Huskies matched the effort. With the help of a kill from first-year outside hitter Athena Ardila and two UNCW attack errors, the Huskies solidified the frame, 27-25.
The fourth set would also extend past the typical 25 points. Northeastern took an 8-4 lead, but the Seahawks went on a 9-1 run to come back. But the Huskies persisted, chipping away at the lead and eventually stringing together three points to win, 26-24, and take the match.
“Everyone was very aggressive and played with a chip on their shoulder, knowing that this was the first time we got the chance to prove ourselves to the other teams in conference and knowing that we needed to protect our home court,” Eyl said. “Everyone was excited and ready to get out there”
The excitement extended into Sunday’s game against the College of Charleston. The Huskies won both of the first two sets, 25-23, continuing to show their ability to stay focused at the end of a set.
Eyl had 24 digs in the match to bolster the backline — an important part of the team’s resilience.
“Our defense over the weekend was really solid,” Eyl wrote. “We didn’t let a lot hit the floor and were able to stay in the rallies because of it.”
The Cougars (12-4, 1-1 CAA) would put up a fight though, battling back in the third to take the set, 25-20. Play continued to be even in the fourth, but the Huskies reeled off a 6-1 run to secure the frame, 25-21 — the largest margin the team would win by all weekend.
The victory was a statement for the Northeastern women. College of Charleston was ranked No. 1 in the CAA’s preseason polls and recorded an impressive five-set upset against Baylor a few weeks ago. Nichols attributed the Huskies’ readiness to a challenging preseason.
“We tried different things,” Nichols said. “We learned a lot of subtle details about what we need to work on, and without those tough losses and quality wins I don’t think we win these two matches.”
Ardila and Underdown both posted 16 kills in the match, which was a career high for Ardila. Meanwhile, Underdown’s performance earned her CAA Player of the Week honors.
The win against College of Charleston marked the first 2-0 start the Huskies have had in conference since 2012.
“We talked about staying humble,” Nichols said. “There’s nothing wrong with being proud of the fact that you can play under pressure. But we’ve got to just concentrate on winning the next point.”
The Huskies will attempt to extend their four-game winning streak Friday when they take on Delaware in the first road match of the CAA season.
