She may wear a different color jersey from the rest of her teammates, but junior libero Leah Neubeck is an important part of the volleyball team that won a pair of home games over George Mason and James Madison this weekend. Neubeck played a big role in the games with 27 combined digs, earning her Huntington News Player of the Week honors.
The Huskies swept both games 3-0, but had to make a comeback in the third set against James Madison Sunday.
“It was a great weekend. We played George Mason, that’s always a big rival for us,” Neubeck said. “We played well against James Madison on Sunday. We controlled them for the first two sets. We kind of sat back in the third set then came out with some great play and we stepped up the intensity, which we’ve really be talking about going into the end of the season. Something just clicked, we didn’t want to go into the fourth game.”
Neubeck said her role as a libero is that of a defensive specialist, a role many unfamiliar with volleyball are unaware of.
For the season, Neubeck ranks first on the Huskies in both digs (286) and digs per game (3.49). Her 3.49 digs per game, rank her fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) as well.
Northeastern fans have certainly been digging the Huskies play so far this season. The team is currently first in the CAA with a 9-1 conference record and has a 15-9 overall mark.
The top six teams in the conference make the playoffs, with the top two getting byes. If the Huskies retain their No. 1 seed, they will host the CAA tournament, something Neubeck is excited about.
“We’d love to host [it] – have to win the conference to host. These next few weekends are pretty important for us coming up – wins would be great. Home court would be excellent, [being able to] sleep in your own bed and you get the refs on your side,” she said, laughing.
She’s also looking forward to the first round bye that comes along with home court, if they are to get the advantage.
“[We’re] used to playing two matches a weekend. [The bye] would really help a lot,” she said.
For the Huskies to go deep in the playoffs, Neubeck said it’s just a matter of keeping at a consistent level .
“We really have to learn how to play at a top level consistently, stop the ups and downs and play through each point at a top level,” she said. “We’ve got to work hard these next two weekends to develop those skills. We’ve kind of been struggling with some ups and and downs and finishing strong in the past few games.”
– Nate Owen,
News Staff
