North Central College Athletics

Following a stint at the NCAA Division I level with the University of Maryland women’s volleyball team, Denise Kunert ’93 Jacobsen transferred to North Central College where she rediscovered her passion for the sport. She had immediate success as a freshman on the Cardinal squad, tallying 195 blocks in 1989—the second most in program history at the time.

"As the season went on [at Maryland], volleyball became more of a job, Kunert Jacobsen said. "I came into an atmosphere at North Central where it wasn’t a job, volleyball was fun again. That and the atmosphere of Marcy Thurwatcher HOF'13, practices, and my teammates—I think that all tied together to having success."

After a successful sophomore season, Kunert Jacobsen was named a first-team All-College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) selection. The following year, she became the first Cardinal in program history to earn an NCAA All-Region honor, while adding another first-team All-CCIW selection in 1991.

"It was awesome to be recognized, but none of it ever happens on your own," she said. "I had great teammates. As an athlete, you can’t take full credit. We had an amazing team."

That same season, she set a program record with 542 kills in a single season. The Cardinals finished a perfect 8-0 in CCIW play that year, marking the program’s first-ever undefeated conference season.

"We had enough confidence as a group that nobody could touch us."

Additionally, Kunert Jacobsen played women's basketball for North Central, leading the Cardinals in both scoring (16.8 points per game) and rebounding (10.0 rebounds per game) during the 1991–92 season. She earned third-team All-CCIW honors for her performances.