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

Benedictine Box Score
Wisconsin Lutheran Box Score

LISLE, Ill. (Oct. 29, 2016) – Splitting a pair of matches at the Benedictine University Triangular on Saturday, the North Central College women's volleyball team downed the host Eagles, 3-1 in the opener before falling 3-2 in the nightcap at the hands of Wisconsin Lutheran College.

In a back-and-forth first set against Benedictine in which the Cardinals held off four separate set points late to force extra points, the Eagles finally capped the opener with a pair of kills to take a 30-28 win.

North Central (14-15) bounced back nicely in the second set, as this time the Cardinals took advantage of a late lead, breaking a 24-24 tie on a kill by Megan Bielawski, while a Benedictine attack error the following play gave the Cardinals a 26-24 win to even the match at one set apiece.

The turning point in set three came with the score knotted at 18, as back-to-back kills from Rachel Elshoff and Sarah Geosling along with a block from Geosling and Ashley Powers quickly gave North Central a 21-18 advantage.  The Cardinals went on the win the set by a 25-23 score, holding off a late Eagle charge.

The final set was all North Central, leading from the opening point and holding the Eagles to a match-low eight kills en route to a 25-20 match clinching set.

Elshoff paced the Cardinal attack with 13 kills, while Bielawski and Geosling each added 11.  Powers and Val Hunt each dished out 21 assists in the opener, while Julie Laugel recorded four of the Cardinals' six service aces.  Defensively, Olivia Hanley led the way with 25 digs, while Laugel and Elshoff each finished with 12.

Benedictine's Taylor Dunwell led the Eagle offense with 17 kills on 55 attempts, while Erin Wiegand also finished in double figures with 10. 
In the nightcap, North Central held a 2-1 lead over Wisconsin Lutheran (13-15) but could not close out the match, dropping the final two sets by scores of 25-21 and 16-14.

North Central held a 14-12 lead late in the fifth set looking to close out the match, but a Cardinal service error followed by an attack error gave Wisconsin Lutheran new life and the Warriors took full advantage, scoring a kill to set up their own match point before another North Central attack error ended the set 16-14 in favor of the Warriors.

Elshoff once again led the Cardinal offense, this time recording 16 kills, while also leading the team with four service aces.  Geosling also finished in double digit kills with 11, while Hunt handed out a team-high 24 assists and Powers added 23.  On the defensive end, Hanley finished with 25 kills to lead the team, while Elshoff added 16.

Courtney Pattison paced the Warrior attack with 13 kills and 24 assists, while Britley Grulke finished with 11 kills.  Defensively, Megan Wierzbicki led the team with 22 digs, while Nicole Klipstein finished with seven total blocks.

North Central wraps up the 2016 campaign on Tuesday, Nov. 1, traveling to North Park University at North Park Gymnasium at 7 p.m.