FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Louis Groce, Graduate Assistant to the Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

Box Score

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The North Central College volleyball team dropped their season finale 26-24, 20-25, 25-17, 29-27 to Illinois Wesleyan University on Wednesday night in Bloomington. 

In a set in which no team led by more than two points until the Titans took a 20-17 lead late, the Cardinals rallied to tie the score at 21, but eventually fell 26-24.  After North Central took a slim 23-22 lead, Illinois Wesleyan regained the advantage on a kill by Emily Knowles and an attack error by Katie Connolly.  The Cardinals called timeout and responded by tying the score at 24 on an attack error by Kinzie Schweigert, but the Titans regrouped and scored two straight points to end the set. 

North Central blew open a 13-all tie with eight straight points to take a 21-13 lead and cruised to a 25-20 victory to tie the match at one set apiece.   The Cardinals used kills by AnnMarie Bachmann and Amanda Hilmer and five attack errors by the Titans to power the run. 

The Titans took the third set 25-17 after a 7-1 run that gave them a 16-10 lead midway through the set.  North Central closed the gap to 18-14 on a service error by Loryn Bruer, but that was as close as the visitors would get the rest of the way. 

North Central used a 4-0 spurt to take a 15-9 lead in the fourth and final set, but the Titans rallied to tie the score at 19 and again at 20.  The Cardinals jumped ahead 22-20 on a kill by Brittany Tickner and a Titan attack error.  The hosts rallied to tie the score at 24, 26, and 27 on an attack error by Amanda Walker.  Two straight kills by Morgan Howard finished off the Cardinals 29-27. 
Hilmer led the Cardinal offense with 11 kills, while Walker, Bachmann, and Bridget White each registered 10 of their own.  Katie Connolly set a career-high with 40 assists, and Jessie Fiala led the Cardinals with 25 digs.