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

Loras Box Score

Benedictine-Mesa Box Score

Jan. 24, 2016 – Opening play in its inaugural season, the North Central College men's volleyball team posted the program's first win in a comeback 3-2 win over Loras College, before dropping the nightcap at the hands of NAIA opponent Benedictine University at Mesa, 3-0.

North Central came out sluggish in the opening set against Loras (1-3), falling 25-19, but the Cardinals shook off the nerves and responded with a 25-22 victory in set number two.  With the scored knotted 21-21, a Duhawk service error and attack error on consecutive possessions gave the Cardinals a 23-21, while forcing a Loras timout.

After a Duhawk kill shrunk the lead to just one, a service error on the next possession established set point for North Central and the Cardinal attack took full advantage, as Jake Braceros put home the set winning kill off an assists from Raymond Kraus, knotting the match at one set apiece.

Loras bounced back with a 25-22 win in the third set, while the turning point came with the score tied at 15, as six straight Loras points gave the visitors a commanding 21-15 lead late.

Once again, North Central bounced back in the fourth set and with the score tied at 22 a Loras service error and kill from Max Lawrence set up set point for the Cardinals while forcing another Duhawk timeout.  Following the timeout, a kill from Ryan Galvan brought Loras to within one, but North Central finished the set on the following point as Lawrence capped the 25-23 win with a kill, set up yet again from Kraus.

North Central (1-1) carried the momentum into the fifth and final set, as the Cardinals scored the first three points and never looked back.  Four straight points from North Central midway through the set opened up a 9-3 lead, as Braceros turned in a pair of kills over the rally and Anthony Kluzak added a kill of his own.  The Cardinals went on to win the fifth set 15-8, leading the whole way.

Braceros finished with a match-high 21 kills to just three attack errors, while also turning in a team-high 13 digs.  Lawrence also finished in double-figure kills, adding 13, while Kraus turned in a match-high 39 assists.  Jacob Zemba added 15 assists, to go along with a team-leading two service aces in the win.

In the nightcap against, Benedictine-Mesa, North Central held a 16-14 lead midway through set number one, but the Redhawks (9-3) responded by scoring seven of the next eight points to take a commanding 21-17 advantage and closed out the set with little trouble 25-20.

The Redhawks led a majority of the second set, but North Central rallied to knot the score as a kill from Lawrence tied the score 23-23 late.  The Redhawk attack proved to be too much down the stretch however, as Logan Adcock and Taua Bader put home back-to-back kills to end the set 25-23 in favor of Benedictine-Mesa.

North Central fought hard in set number three, but the turning point came with the score tied 16-16, as Benedictine-Mesa closed the set on a 9-3 run, including seven unforced errrors by North Central.

North Central could not find its rhythm against the Redhawks, finishing with 24 attack errors and a .000 attack percentage, while also finishing with 16 service errors.  Zemba led the Cardinal attack with eight kills in the nightcap, while Kraus once again led the team with 16 assists.

North Central returns home on Tuesday, Jan. 26, playing host to Benedictine University (Illinois) at 7:30 p.m.  Links to live coverage are available HERE.