Friday, Oct. 4 and Saturday, Oct. 5, William and Mary volleyball (5-10, 1-5 CAA) fell to Coastal Athletic Association foe Northeastern (7-7, 5-1 CAA) in back-to-back matches at the Cabot Center in Boston, Mass.
Entering Friday’s matchup fresh off of its first inter-conference win of the season, the Tribe marched into Cabot Center looking to slow down the Huskies, who have won three of their first four conference matches in 2024.
The first match of the weekend started evenly for both teams. After multiple kills from fifth-year outside hitter Maddie Meyers and junior opposite Nicole Smith, the Tribe took a 12-9 mid-set lead. After multiple traded points by both teams, the Green and Gold slowly increased its lead to 20-15 following an untimely Huskies service error. Northeastern then went on a run of their own, outscoring William and Mary 10-5 and tying the score at 25-25. After an attack error, back-to-back kills from graduate student middle blocker Sabrina Malcolm and Smith secured the first set for the Green and Gold, giving them a strong 1-0 set lead to start the weekend.
The Huskies completely dominated the second set. After another even start, Northeastern quickly pulled away from the visiting Tribe, taking a 16-7 lead following two William and Mary errors and three offensive kills. The Huskies continued extending their lead, stretching the margin to 12 before winning the second set 25-16.
Now tied 1-1, the Green and Gold looked to bounce back and take the pivotal third set. After being tied 9-9, William and Mary began slowly pulling away, thanks to kills from junior middle blocker Olivia Esposito, Meyers and sophomore outside hitter Audrey Brcka. The Huskies had no cure for the Green and Gold, and as the set ended, the visiting Tribe took a 2-1 set lead following a 25-17 win in the third.
In the fourth, Northeastern wasted no time taking a strong lead. After consecutive Tribe errors and multiple Northeastern kills, the Huskies extended their lead to 19-12. However, the Green and Gold showed no sign of giving up easily. William and Mary took off on a 13-5 run, earning a 25-24 lead following back-to-back kills from sophomore opposite Katherine Arnason to force a tie-break for the fourth set. After a Huskies kill, two untimely Green and Gold errors halted the Tribe’s momentum, giving the Huskies the fourth with just one final 15-point set to play.
In the fifth, William and Mary played from behind from the get-go. After falling behind 3-2 following a kill from Northeastern sophomore middle blocker Beatrice Gennari, the Green and Gold failed to close the gap. The game finished with a 15-10 Huskies set win, and despite showing strong signs early on, the Tribe’s early CAA struggles continued as it dropped game one of the weekend series.
On Saturday, the Huskies dominated in all three sets they played. After getting edged out 26-24 in the first set, William and Mary was outscored 50-30 in the second and third sets, losing 25-11 in the second and 25-19 in the third. Freshman outside hitter Brynn Smith led the way for the Huskies, racking up a game-leading 13 kills throughout the match. Meyers led the Tribe with 10 kills of her own, but despite the team’s effort, Northeastern proved to be too strong of an opponent to overcome.
The Green and Gold will look to get back in the win column next weekend when it hosts Delaware (9-4, 5-1 CAA) Oct. 12 and 13 at Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg, Va.
