FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

CLAREMONT, Calif. (Aug. 31, 2012) - The North Central College volleyball team struck gold on the first day of the Pacific Coast Classic on Friday, opening the 2012 season with a pair of victories over West Coast opposition.

The Cardinals opened the day with a 3-2 victory over Chapman University (Calif.), followed by a 3-1 win over Whittier College (Calif.) at Pomona-Pitzer Colleges' Voelkel Gymnasium.

Chapman, which finished 24-9 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Championships last season, threatened to put the Cardinals away early by taking the first two sets, 25-18 and 25-14. North Central evened the match by taking the next two frames, 25-20 and 25-17, before securing the season's first win with a narrow 16-14 triumph in the fifth set.

Kedryn Orrison paced a balanced attacking effort with 16 kills for the Cardinals, while Jenae Harner added 13 and Kayla Murphy finished with 10. Freshman setter Laura Kluk totaled 51 assists, while Kellie Holpuch turned in three service aces. Orrison and Murphy also led North Central's frontline defensive effort with five total blocks apiece, and Sarah Eggert posted a team-high 26 digs. Jessie Fiala contributed 13 digs and Harner added 12.

Following the win, North Central immediately turned its attention to Whittier and kept its momentum going with a 25-15 first-set win. The Poets rallied and took the second set, 25-22, but the Cardinals bounced back to close out the match by claiming sets three and four, 25-23 and 25-20.

Harner put up 12 kills, with Amanda Hilmer and Orrison contributing nine and seven, respectively, and Kluk providing 40 assists. Eggert totaled 20 digs and Harner added 13, and the pair shared the team lead in service aces with two each. Orrison and Murphy each posted four blocks.

The Cardinals conclude play in the Pacific Coast Classic on Saturday, taking on the University of Minnesota-Morris at 11 a.m. Pacific time, then facing the 16th-ranked University of Massachusetts-Boston at 1:30 p.m.