Despite a 2-7 overall record, the Huskies continue to persevere and keep games close. This past weekend, NU was unable to pull off a victory and went 0-3 in the Big Orange Tournament in Syracuse, winning only a set apiece against Army and the host Orange.
"Kids are more resilient these days, they bounce back pretty quick. Things are starting to feel like we are playing teams that we know we can beat, even scores in one set or another that we are really controlling the other team," head coach Ken Nichols said. "I don't think we are frustrated about wins and losses, I think we are frustrated about the little things. That would be our execution, our unforced errors, those are the things we really need to concentrate on."
This weekend, the Huskies were two players down. Lauryn Ciszek was out due to mononucleosis, for which she was hospitalized, Nichols said. Even more damaging to the Huskies was the loss of senior opposite hitter Sarah Stein due to jaw surgery. Stein ranks third in kills per game on the team behind only Lauren DeTurk and Caitlin Tittl. She was diagnosed with TMJ syndrome, more commonly known as "lock jaw." Stein had emergency surgery while in California, Nichols said.
The loss of these two players was a serious issue for the Huskies, leaving the team with 11 players for the tournament, only eight of whom play front row. This forced the Huskies to persistently rely on the same lineup, allowing opponents to learn the Huskies' tactics and adjust accordingly.
The Huskies opened their tournament with a strong win against host Syracuse, 25-16. However, they were unable to carry that momentum forward as the Orange out-muscled them to win in straight sets afterward. DeTurk was the match leader in kills while Leah Neubeck and Britney Brown tied for the lead in digs overall.
NU next faced Army Saturday morning. Once again the Huskies took the first set, though this time the set was much closer at a score of 25-23.
Setter Jessica Tkachuk was responsible for ending the Army run that brought the game to such a tight score. However as with host Syracuse Army went on to sweep the Huskies in the remaining sets for a victory. The Huskies didn't give up in the final sets and held leads in the final two sets again largely due to the great play of Tkachuk.
In their final match of the tournament, the Huskies took on perennial powerhouse Ohio University. The Huskies were outmatched in the first set as they fell by 11 points, their worst loss of the tournament.
They were able to bounce back strong in the second set and tied the score at 23 apiece.
But the Huskies missed a jump serve and then committed a hitting error, giving Ohio the second set. In the third set, Ohio got off to an early lead before NU tied it at 11 all.
"If you start by looking at the way we played last weekend, against a No. 2 and No. 14, I figured we were going to just play better heading into this weekend," Nichols said. "It didn't work out the way I had hoped throughout the weekend."
The Huskies return to action tomorrow night at Rhode Island at 7 p.m. The Rams stand at 5-5 while on a two game losing streak.
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