2001 Schedule/Results
2001 Statistics
2001 Volleyball Review
Despite falling to the Texas Longhorns 3-0 in the first round of the 2001 NCAA Volleyball Championship in College Station, Texas, 2001 was definitely a year to remember for NU. The Huskies got off to a slow 1-3 start with losses to Fairfield, Syracuse and UMass, but would reel off a four-match win streak to get back to the caliber of play they have grown accustomed to, with a 5-3 record.
After posting a 1-2 mark at the Penn Invitational, Northeastern won nine of its next 10 to improve to 15-6 and 5-0 in league action. NU lost to Boston College 3-1 on Oct. 17 and then defeated Drexel 3-0 on Oct. 20 to set up one of the Huskies' most anticipated matches of the season. In a battle of the unbeatens on Oct. 21, the Tigers of Towson came to Huntington Avenue and beat NU 3-2 in a very exciting marathon match at Solomon Court. The loss was Northeastern's only home defeat of the season as they posted an 11-1 mark at the Cabot Center. With the win, Towson took over sole possession of the top-spot in the America East standings.
Following its loss to Towson, NU won three straight to set up another important match with the Tigers, but this time in Maryland. The Huskies came out ready to play as they took the first two games and eventually the match, 3-1, to tie the season series with Towson and take over the league's top-spot.
Northeastern then traveled to Philadelphia and defeated Drexel 3-0 before heading north for the Huskies final two regular season matches of the year. With their first America East regular season title since 1991 within arms reach, the Huskies faltered as they dropped their final two regular season matches to New Hampshire and Maine. In Durham, the Huskies lost 3-1 to the Wildcats in front of over 1100 spectators on Nov. 10 and then fell to Maine 3-1 in Orono on Nov. 11 to drop to second in the league standings heading into the conference tournament.
With their spirits diminished from losing the final two matches the regular season and homecourt advantage throughout the league playoffs, coach Nichols had to rally the troops to get back to the level of play they demonstrated throughout most of the season. His team responded by defeating UNH 3-1 in the semifinals of the conference championship and then Maine 3-0 in the finals to capture their first-ever America East crown. Sophomore setter Kristin Ursillo was honored as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player as well as being named to the All-Tournament team with teammates Gianina Pellegrini and Lindsay Wagner.
With their first conference title behind them, the Huskies now had their sights set on the NCAA tournament. With hopes of going home to California for many of the players, the selection committee instead sent NU to Texas to take on the University of Texas at Texas A&M's White Coliseum. The Huskies were over powered by the Longhorns who swept the Huskies 3-0 in College Station.
Regardless of the outcome of the first round NCAA Championship game, several Huskies received postseason awards for their impressive play in 2001. Ursillo was named America East Setter of the Year and to the All-Conference team. Fellow Huskies Kristin Deatherage, Pellegrini and Erin Spangler were also honored as All-Conference selections. Deatherage and Pellegrini further etched themselves into NU record books throughout the season and ended their Northeastern careers as two of the finest to ever come through the program. Deatherage holds NU marks in career kills (1698), attacks in a match (67), career attacks (4359) and is tied for first in career service aces (157) with Danyel Howard (1993-95). Pellegrini holds all Northeastern career blocking records as well as career hitting percentage (.296), single-season hitting percentage (.372 in 2001) and single-season total blocks (151 in 1998).
With the loss of Deatherage and Pellegrini, along with role players Adrianna DiGregorio and Jasmine Mullings, NU will look to its stellar returners of Spangler, Ursillo and Wagner to help lead the Huskies in the 2002 season.
The 2001 season proved to be the most successful campaign in the history of Northeastern volleyball. Second-year head coach Ken Nichols guided the Huskies to a 23-11 record and their first-ever America East title and NCAA Championship appearance.
