The Northeastern volleyball team won a key game Sunday in Cambridge against Harvard, rebounding from a loss the day before and playing more cohesively. Senior captain Kira Batura had 20 kills and 26 digs in the game for the Huskies, earning her this week’s Northeastern News Player of the Week honors.
Batura has an impressive total 183 kills and a team high 251 digs this season. With the win, the Huskies took a step in the right direction and improved their record to 8-10. In the Colonial Athletic Association postseason, six of the ten teams qualify, and the current margin of distance between each team is slim.
“We need to take each game one at a time,” Batura said.
Besides being the captain of the team, Batura is also the only senior. She said she works hard to try to set a good example for the rest of the team.
“It’s so different,” said Batura of her leadership role. “I have played with older girls ever since I started. It’s a good opportunity for me to be a mentor.”
She said she enjoys improving the team and feels honored to be able to make a difference.
Off the court, Batura is a business major who wants to go into sports marketing, but one of her main interests is traveling. Once she is out of school she said she would consider the idea of playing volleyball overseas. Having always loved the game, she is willing to put her career on hold in order to take advantage of other opportunities to play and gain new experiences.
As a student-athlete, Batura said she is always busy and is excited to have some more free time when the season ends. One new thing that she is ready to take on is replacing the hard court with a beach. Last summer, Batura enjoyed a beach volleyball tournament.
“Being in season is a lot harder than people think,” Batura said.
The traveling for a Colonial Athletic Association athlete is extensive and every road game is a big trip, she said.
Coming from Illinois, she decided to make the trip to the East Coast because she realized that school was her first priority. Boston intrigued her, and once she visited Northeastern, she said it felt like home. Between a reputable business school and co-op opportunities, she said it was a perfect fit.
Now in her last athletic year, Batura said the team chemistry needs to improve, and once it does, the team will win more frequently.
“It’s one of the things that we still need to work on,” she said.
Right now the team is hovering around a .500 record and is ready to take its game to the next level, she said.
The Huskies are on the road this weekend with a 5:30 p.m. at Georgia State Friday and a 1 p.m. game at UNC Wilmington.
– Jared Shafran, News Correspondent
