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

Berea Box Score
Wilmington Box Score

CINCINNATI, Ohio (Sept. 10, 2016) – After a tough loss on Friday, the North Central College women's volleyball team bounced back to a pair of 3-0 wins over Berea College and Wilmington College on Saturday to close out play at the Charlie Wrublewski Tournament hosted by Mount St. Joseph University.

In the opener against Berea, the Cardinal attack came out blazing, going on a 11-2 run midway through set one to take a commanding 20-11 lead and closed out the set 25-14.  North Central finished the set with 16 kills to just one attack error, hitting at a .577 clip as a team.

The Berea (1-4) offense struggled mightily in the second set, hitting -.111, committing 10 attack errors to just seven kills, as North Central once again ran away with the set 25-14.  Cara Howell and Annmarie Franz teamed up for three blocks during the set, while Howell added a solo block as well.

The Cardinals trailed 22-20 late in the third set, but rallied to score seven of the final nine points to secure the 25-22 win.  Kaylee Allensworth recorded three sets during the rally, while Howell, Franz and Anna Billman also added kills during the pivotal run.

Allensworth led the Cardinal attack with 11 kills in the opener, while Howell added seven and Franz and Billman each tallied five each.  Alexa Zimbelman led all players with 26 assists while also finishing with 10 digs defensively.  Olivia Hanley led the team with 13 digs, while Howell and Franz each finished with five total blocks.

In the nightcap against Wilmington, the Cardinal offense once again came out firing, cruising to 25-16 and 25-10 wins in each of the first two sets, respectively.  North Central ran out to a 15-5 lead in the opening set and never looked back, while a 11-1 run to open the second set propelled the Cardinals to an easy second set win.

The Cardinals trailed for a good part of the third set and found themselves trailing 17-14, but eight straight points quickly turned the tables in favor of North Central, taking a commanding 22-17 lead late and would go on to claim the final set 25-21.

Billman and Julie Laugel each finished with 10 kills to lead the Cardinal attack in match two, while Howell added nine.  Zimbelman once again led all players with 25 assists, while Val Hunt also finished in double digits with 12 assists.  Defensively, Hanley led the way with 18 digs, while Billman recorded five total blocks.

North Central returns to the court on Friday, Sept. 16 traveling to the Lake Forest College Triangular, taking on Benedictine University at 4 p.m. followed by the host Foresters at 6 p.m.