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Box Score

Mar. 23, 2016 – The North Central College men's volleyball team's (7-15, 5-7 Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League) defeated Marian University 3-1 on Wednesday afternoon, picking up their fourth consecutive win and showing tremendous calm in high pressure situations, a positive sign for such a young team.

The Cardinals took the first set 25-20, with the set beginning as a stalemate between the two teams. The Sabers briefly took the lead 9-8, but from their the Cardinals offense clicked, while the Sabres had no answer for the freshmen duo of Jacob Zemba and Jake Braceros, who dominated the set offensively and played a large role in breaking the deadlock with the Sabers.

The Cardinals struggled out of the gate in the second set, which ended up belonging to the Sabers with a score of 25-19. Only a Braceros kill could get the Cardinals on the scoreboard early, as they went down 5-1, with the deficit proving to be too big to overcome as the set went on. Thanks to several kills from Bohzidar, the Cardinals were able to claw back and reduce the margin to 11-9, but it would not be enough to help the take the lead and eventually the set.

The third set would be much kinder to the Cardinals, as they never trailed and finished with a hard-earned 25-23 victory. Both teams traded points throughout the entirety of the set, and it was an ace from Braceros, followed by an error from the Sabers that gave the set to the Cardinals.

The fourth set was like much of the match itself, as it was evenly matched and saw the Cardinals get down 22-20 at one point, only to show poise under pressure that belied their youth to come back and win 25-24. Thanks to excellent defensive play from the Cardinals, the Sabres would crack under the pressure and make several costly errors down the stretch.

Zemba's superb hitting resulted in him being the kills leader with 14, while Braceros and Bohzidar each had seven. They were the beneficiaries of many of Kraus' 30 assists which led the team in that category. Braceros, Bozhidar and freshman Raymond Kraus each served one ace, while defensively the Cardinals were led by Braceros, who finished with 11 digs, and also Bozhidar and  freshman Kevin Messer who had six apiece.  Freshman Anthony Kluzak made his presence felt at the net with a team-leading six blocks, while Zemba and Braceros each had four.

After several matches in a short span of time, the Cardinals will be rested by the time they play next, which is March 4 against Greenville College in Gregory Arena, as they look to extend their winning streak to five. Live stats and video can be found here.