Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Oct. 28, 2022) - Wrapping up College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play, the North Central College women's volleyball team dropped a tightly contested match to North Park University, 3-1 on Friday night inside Gregory Arena.
With the opening set tied at three, the Vikings went on a 6-0 run to take control early on. A kill from Aidan Brown sparked an 8-2 rally from the Cardinals to put themselves back in the set. The teams traded the next seven points before a Viking kill put them at set point. A North Park service error followed by an Emily Stallmann ace brought the Cardinals within one, but the Vikings prevailed to take the first set, 25-23.
Two kills from Katie Little and an ace from Taylor O'Malley gave North Central an 8-5 advantage in set two. Kendra Battle's second kill of the match put the score at 12-9 before North Park took a 14-13 lead with a 5-1 run. A kill from Sarah Elischer capped off a 7-2 rally for the Cardinals, giving them a four-point lead, 20-16. Brown put North Central at set point, but the Vikings rallied to extend the match beyond the 25-point threshold. Again the teams traded points until North Park scored two in a row to claim the second set, 30-28.
North Central came out firing in set three as they took a 6-2 lead early on. A kill from Abbi Barickman capped off a 5-1 run to push the score to 12-5. Emma Happ's fourth kill of the match gave the Cardinals an 18-13 advantage, but again the Vikings answered with an 8-1 rally to retake the lead. A Viking service error followed by another Happ kill secured the set victory for North Central, 25-23.
The Vikings jumped out to an 11-3 lead in the third set. Brown sparked a 4-1 run to close the gap before North Park responded with a 4-0 run. A Viking error gave the ball to O'Malley who brought the Cardinal within five, thanks to an ace on their 5-0 run. Another North Central run brought them within one point as Brown finished off a 6-1 rally. North Park responded with three points to take the fourth set, 25-21, and the match, 3-1.
Brown (14) and Little (10) tallied double-digit kills while O'Malley posted four aces. Anna Gawron dished out 17 assists with O'Malley right behind at 16. Stallmann recorded 23 digs with Aleesa Andresen notching 15.
The Cardinals return to the CCIW Tournament for the first time since 2012 as they will be hosting Augustana College on Tuesday night. Click HERE for the full CCIW Tournament schedule.
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