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

Ripon Box Score
IIT Box Score

Sept. 24, 2016 – In arguably their most complete effort of the season, the North Central College women's volleyball team earned a pair of 3-0 wins in their home triangular, avenging an earlier season loss to Ripon, before taking down Illinois Institute of Technology in the nightcap.

After dropping a 3-0 match at Ripon on Sept. 3, the Cardinals dominated in all facets of the match today against the Red Hawks (9-5).  The Cardinals (10-5) hit .348 as a team, finishing with 51 kills to just 12 attack errors.

North Central jumped out to a 9-3 lead early in the opening set, highlighted by a pair of kills and a solo block from Sarah Geosling.  The Cardinals further increased the lead later in the set, opening up a 20-8 lead and would cruise to a 25-14 win, capitalizing on 17 kills to just three errors.

The second set featured much of the same dominance from the Cardinal attack, finishing the second set with 18 kills to just two errors.  With the score knotted at 18, five straight Cardinal kills opened up a 23-18 lead, as Rachel Elshoff and Cara Howell each recorded a pair and Anna Billman also added a kill during the rally.  Two straight Red Hawk attack errors then ended the set in favor of North Central, 25-18.

Once again racking up double digit kills, the Cardinals led the entire third set, cruising to a 25-19 win behind 16 kills from the attack, led by four each from Howell and Julie Laugel, while Billman and Geosling added three kills during the final set.

Howell led all players with 13 kills, while Laugel added 10 and Elshoff and Geosling each finished with nine.  Val Hunt led the way with 22 assists, while Alexa Zimbelman chipped in 19.  Defensively, Elshoff led the team with 15 digs, while Laugel and Olivia Hanley each finished with 14.

North Central carried the momentum from the 3-0 win in the opener in to the second match of the day against IIT, cruising to a 25-15 win in the first set.  The Cardinals jumped out to a 11-4 lead as back-to-back service aces off the hand of Hanely forced a Scarlet Hawk timeout.  The Cardinals finished the set with 14 kills to just three attack errors, while the Scarlet Hawks (6-8) finished with eight kills to seven errors.

The Scarlet Hawk attack struggled in the second half, recording just five kills while also committing five attack errors, while the Cardinals finished with 15 kills to just three errors.  The Cardinals gradually built their lead throughout the set, as three Scarlet Hawk attack errors in four plays induced an IIT timeout with North Central holding a 18-11 advantage, while the Cardinals would go on to easily win the set 25-14.

The Cardinals put together perhaps their best offensive performance of the day in the third and final set, hitting .429 as a team, recording 15 kills to just three errors.  Eight Cardinals recorded a kill in the set, led by Billman's four, while Howell added three.

Howell finished with seven kills against IIT, breaking into the program's top-10 in career kills, ranking 10^th with 748.  Billman led the team with 10 kills in the nightcap, while Elshoff added nine.  Hunt and Zimbelman each dished out 18 assists, while Elshoff led the way with 12 digs on defense.

North Central returns to the court on Tuesday, Sept. 27, playing host to Wisconsin Lutheran College at 7 p.m. inside Gregory Arena.  The link to live in-game statistics is available HERE.