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Box Score vs. SUNY-New Paltz
Box Score vs. Marian

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (Jan. 13, 2019) – The North Central College men's volleyball team wrapped up a busy and productive weekend at the University of California-Santa Cruz Slug Slam on Sunday, falling at the hands of the No. 5-ranked SUNY-New Paltz Hawks (3-0) in the first match of the day before playing a dominant second match that rewarded their efforts with a 3-1 win against the Marian University Sabres (0-4).

North Central and SUNY-New Paltz met for the first time in program history on Sunday afternoon and the Cardinals again showed they have a place playing against some of the best teams in the nation. The Hawks only had a lead in the opening points of the set following a kill from Nick O'Malley and two from Bradley Schneider, but the Cardinals came back with five straight points, sparked by an ace from Bozhidar Kolev and a kill from Nick Lilley to pull ahead 7-4. New Paltz only pulled within one a few times throughout the set to challenge North Central, and the Cardinals capitalized on efficient hitting to win the set 25-23.

The Cardinals took a narrow lead to begin the second set with two kills from Anthony Kluzak off the hands of Michael Trunzo, followed by kills from Lilley, Zemba and Justin Curtis to lead 7-4. A three-point run starting with a kill from Kluzak and an ace from Trunzo extended the lead 12-8, but the Hawks found momentum midway through the set off of kills from Riley Dolan and Nick Smith to tie it, 13-13, and allowed for very few opportunities for North Central to regain control, ultimately winning the second set 25-18.

Kolev put the Cardinals on the board to start the third set and take a short-lived lead until New Paltz pulled away from three-straight points. The Cardinals struggled to make up the ground they lost early in the set, although the team was able to keep the Hawks from going on long scoring streaks, and dropped the third set, 25-19.

It was once again Kolev and Zemba in the fourth set getting the Cardinals in the game, thanks to Trunzo and Kevin Braceros on the assists to tie the set 3-3. Curtis helped North Central on both ends of the play, coming up with a block with Zemba and a kill of his own on the following point to take a 6-4 lead. Unfortunately, two four-point runs by New Paltz and a kill from Smith would be the key to victory for the No. 5-ranked team in the country, winning the fourth set 25-20 and improving to 3-0 on the season, although not without a valiant effort from the Cardinals.

Smith led all players with 20 kills while Zemba paced the Cardinals with ten and Kluzak added nine. Kluzak, Curtis, and Zemba were also strong on the defensive end, adding two blocks each and Trunzo recorded 30 assists.

In the final match of the tournament against Marian, the Cardinals came out strong with a block from Kluzak and Zemba to take a 2-0 lead, but the Sabres made a four-point run to take a 6-5 lead. North Central responded with a four-point run of their own later in the set to lead 18-14 and force the Sabres to take a timeout. Lilley came up with a huge block at set point to put the Cardinals ahead 1-0 and win the first set 25-21.

The second set proved to be a true battle early on as both teams traded points until a massive six-point run highlighted by two kills from Jason Eslinger off the hands of Trunzo put North Central ahead 15-10. The Sabres attempted to cut the deficit, but the mid-set momentum helped North Central win the second set, 25-21.

Marian flipped the script on the Cardinals in the third set, taking a 10-7 lead and forcing North Central to call a timeout. Despite three kills and an ace from Kolev, the Cardinals could not recover and Marian forced a fourth set, winning the third 25-21.

North Central was not going to let the match go on any longer than it needed to and made quick work of the Sabres in the fourth set. An eight-point run early in the set boosted the Cardinals to a 12-4 lead that the Sabres could not bounce back from and a five-point scoring streak shortly after helped North Central dominate the fourth set, 25-16, and improve to 2-2 on the young season.

Kolev's ten kills were a team high and Eslinger added nine of his own. Kluzak and Curtis led the defensive efforts with five blocks apiece.

For their performances over the weekend, Kluzak and Zemba were honored as All-Tournament team selections. Zemba now ranks second on the team in kills (33) and service aces (four) while Kluzak is the team leader in blocks with 13.

North Central (2-2) will play its home opener on Friday, Jan. 18, hosting No. 6 New York University inside Gregory Arena at 7:30 p.m. A link to live in-match coverage can be found HERE.