By Ari Strait
The Northeastern volleyball team opened up the regular season in thrilling fashion Tuesday night, coming back from a 0-2 deficit to beat America East preseason favorite, the University of New Hampshire Wildcats, 3-2 at home on Solomon Court.
The Huskies built early leads in each of the first two games, but both times New Hampshire adapted their defense to Northeastern’s style of play, stalling the Husky charge.
Northeastern’s offense had trouble adjusting to the size and versatility of the Wildcats’ defense, but led by freshman Larissa Adomat and her 23 kills, they put forth a physically exhausting effort to keep their team close.
The Wildcats played what head coach Ken Nichols called an outside blocker defense, in which a team takes one of its outside hitters from the opposite side of its opposition’s attack and brings them over to be yet another obstacle.
Essentially, what this meant was that there were at least two, sometimes three New Hampshire players in the air, challenging every Husky attack, and one Wildcat directly behind them, just in case a tipped ball got over their heads.
Sophomore Whitney Wienkoop said the team recognized their shortcomings, but were able to work it out on the floor
“We just weren’t connecting. We talked it all out during our timeouts. Our middles and outsides then went on fire. They were just incredible,” she said.
It was in the third game that Northeastern’s offense began to adapt. They put together a much more mobile, coordinated attack, and managed to move around, and then later, directly through the Wildcat defense.
However, it was the Northeastern defense, led by senior Erin Spangler and junior Briana Furch, that made the difference. Spangler finished with more blocks than the entire Wildcat team, inluding two in the fifth and final game.
Down 12-9 in the fifth game, a timeout taken by Nichols slowed the Wildcats’ momentum. A serving error on the immediately subsequent play entirely switched it over, and the Huskies took three of the next four points to lock up the score at 13-13.
The Huskies and Wildcats then had a 14 volley exchange that finally ended in Northeastern’s favor. Once the Wildcats smashed their third and final shot into the net on the next play, the Huskies had their 15th point and won the match.
Nichols, much like Wienkoop, attributed the victory to the team’s ability to recognize a need to change their strategy while still on the floor.
“They caught us a little off guard early, so we had to stay on our feet. Their defense, when they brought the extra hitter behind their blockers, was not something we scouted, but something we adjusted to. That’s been our battle so far, to find adjustments during the game. The team is so cohesive they can do it themselves,” he said.
The team’s first match in last weekend’s Crimson Classic at Harvard University, a 3-0 loss to the Winthrop University Eagles, was an offensively dominated one, as both teams’ defenses combined for just four blocks in their three games.
Statistically, the 3-1 loss to Harvard was much more of a balanced contest. Both teams had three players finish with double-digit dig totals, both teams finished with 59 assists, and the Huskies’ team total of 68 kills was just one more than the Crimson’s 67.
However, Harvard senior setter Mindy Jellin’s 55 assists and team-high 16 digs, coupled with matching 15 kill performances by junior Ali Bendush and sophomore Kaego Ogbechie once again led to a Huksy defeat.
The offense and defense had its way with against Dartmouth and swept through the Big Green for a 3-0 win.
Senior Erin Spangler and Adomat each finished with 14 kills and a hitting percentage over .500, while Ursillo exploded for 43 assists. The team finished with eight service aces and 43 digs.
