Women's Volleyball | 8/29/2014 4:30:00 PM

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

Centre Box Score

Hunter Box Score

NEW YORK, N.Y. (Aug. 29, 2014) – The North Central College women's volleyball team jumpstarted the 2014 season winning its first six sets in a pair of victories in the opening day of the New York University Labor Day Invitational, as the Cardinals defeated Centre College and Hunter College by 3-0 scores at the Coles Sports Center.

In the day's opening match against Centre, the Cardinals jumped out to a 14-7 first set lead, but the Colonels (0-1) won eight of the next nine points to knot the score at 15 all.

Tied 19-19, North Central rode its heavy hitters down the stretch, claiming six of the final nine points behind kills from Kedryn Orrison, Julie Laugel, Amy Hermle and Cara Howell to take the opening set 25-21.

In the second set with the score knotted at seven, the Cardinals (2-0) ripped off three-straight kills all set up by Laura Kluk to take a 10-7 lead.  North Central would not surrender the lead the remainder of the set, cruising to a 25-18 win.

The third set was much of the same for the Cardinal offense, breaking open a close match halfway through the set and pulling away down the stretch thanks in part to service aces off the hand of Jessie Fiala and Howell to claim the set, 20-25.

Julie Laugel led a balanced Cardinal attack with nine kills, while Amanda Hilmer and Howell each finished with seven.  Kluk recorded a game-high 28 assists, while Fiala had 15 digs on defense.

In the first set against Hunter, the Cardinals were on the back of their heels trailing 19-15, but the resilient offense came through yet again as Laugel drove a pair of kills and Kluk added another to pull North Central to within one. 

The two teams traded leads late, until the Cardinals took a 22-21 lead on a service ace from Olivia Hanley.  The Hunter attack would falter down the stretch, surrendering the final two points to North Central on service errors and giving the Cardinals the first set victory, 25-23.

In the second set, the Cardinals found themselves down to set point, trailing 24-23.  After a North Central timeout, Kluk set-up AnnMarie Bachmann for the kill, knotting the score at 24, followed by a service ace off the hand of Hanley giving the Cardinals a one-point lead.  Hanley forced the pressure again on her next service, this time with North Central holding the set point advantage, forcing the Hawks into a miss-set and securing the second set, 26-24.

The third set was all North Central as the Cardinals jumped out to a 17-8 lead midway through the set, thanks in part to two more service aces from Hanley, while kills from Kluk and Bridget White earned North Central five straight points.  The Cardinal defense fended off the Hawk (0-1) attack down the stretch, as the lead would not dip below six the remainder of the contest.

Kluk led the way in the nightcap with eight kills and 31 assists, Orrison added eight kills as well, while Laugel and White each contributed seven kills.  Defensively, Fiala ended the second match with 13 digs, while Jill Galovic added 10.

North Central continues play in the NYU Labor Day Invitational tomorrow, taking on Rowan University at 11:30 am (ET).  Depending on the result against Rowan, the Cardinals will then play at either 1:30 pm (ET) or 3:30 pm (ET).  The link to live statistics is available HERE.