Women's Volleyball | 10/25/2014 11:03:00 PM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Drew Sauer, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324

UW-Stevens Point Box Score

UW-Whitewater Box Score

WHITEWATER, Wis. (Oct. 25, 2014) – The North Central College women's volleyball team ran into a pair of nationally ranked opponents at the Dig Panici Classic on Saturday, falling to 11^th-ranked University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and 23^rd-ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, each by 3-0 scores.
 
In the opener against Stevens Point, the Cardinals kept the score close throughout most of the first set until the Pointers (24-4) broke open a one-point lead, scoring 8 of the next 11 points to take a 23-17 lead and would hang on for the five-point victory.
 
North Central (18-10) jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead in set number two, but the Pointers rallied to outscore the Cardinals, 17-4 over the next 21 points to open up an 18-8 advantage and eventually claim the set 25-13.
 
The third set was much of the same for the Cardinals as the UW-Stevens Point attack was too much to handle, cruising to a 25-16 win to clinch the match.  The Pointers with 52 kills to just 15 attack errors, while the Cardinals tallied just 25 kills to go along with 18 errors.
 
Kedryn Orrison and Cara Howell each finished with six kills in the opener, while Claire Vrabec and Julie Laugel each added five.  Laura Kluk turned in a team-high 20 assist and Jill Galovic finished with 20 digs defensively.
 
In the second match of the afternoon against UW-Whitewater, the Cardinal defense yet again had trouble stopping the powerful Warhawk attack as the hosts finished with 41 kills on the match to just 12 attack errors.
 
The Warhawks (23-6) led virtually the entire first two sets, taking the first 25-18 while cruising to a 25-16 win in set number two.
 
North Central found its rhythm early in the third set as back-to-back kills of the attack from Amanda Walker gave the Cardinals a 12-9 lead early on.  The momentum would not last long for North Central as UW-Whitewater responded by scoring the next five points to turn the tables and take a two-point lead.  The Warhawks would not relinquish the lead the remainder of the set, going on to win 25-21.
 
Howell paced the Cardinal attack in the nightcap racking up 11 kills, while Kluk added seven kills, to go along with 15 assists and nine digs.  Katie Connolly also added 13 assists.
 
North Central continues its streak of ranked opponents, traveling to 12^th-ranked Elmhurst College on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 7 pm.  Links to live video and statistics are available HERE.