Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324

ELMHURST, Ill. (Sept. 27, 2022) - Playing all five sets for the third time this season, the North Central College women's volleyball team found themselves on the wrong side of the exciting match as the Cardinals and Bluejays went beyond the 25/15-point threshold three times over the five sets on Tuesday night at R.A. Faganel Hall.

The Bluejays jumped out to a 10-6 advantage before the Cardinals tied the opening set at 13 thanks to back-to-back Elmhurst errors. A kill from Aidan Brown gave North Central a 15-13 edge. Both teams traded points to push the set to 25-25. Amber Vande Hei sent home a kill to give the Cardinals a one-point advantage before Brown made a set-clinching kill from the back row to take the first set, 27-25.

Again, Elmhurst stormed out to an early lead in set two. An ace from Aliyah Valentine brought the Cardinals within four, 11-7. The Bluejays extended their lead to six, forcing North Central to take their second timeout with the score at 16-10. The Cardinals clawed their way back as a service ace from Taylor O'Malley brought the Bluejays lead to three, 23-20. Continuing their run, a block from Maddi Barickman and Vande Hei knotted the contest at 24, forcing the set beyond its usual 15 points for the second straight set. Each team couldn't take advantage of their set point opportunities until Elmhurst rallied off three straight points to take the set two, 30-28.

Back-and-forth action began the third set as a kill from Battle gave North Central a 6-5 edge early on. Again, the teams traded points until the Bluejays took a three-point advantage, 16-13. Forcing an Elmhurst timeout, another kill from Battle capped off a 3-0 run, followed by a Bluejay attack error to bring the score to 20-20. Putting the Cardinals on top, 23-22 was Katie Little who recorded a kill late in the set. After an attack error from Elmhurst, Emma Happ notched an ace to give North Central a 25-22 victory in set three.

Set four started the same way as the first two with Elmhurst running to an early lead, this time with an 8-4 advantage early on. A ball handling error on the Bluejays brought the score to 15-14, but Elmhurst stayed strong and prevailed to force a final fifth set with a 25-19 win.

Finding themselves on top again, Elmhurst jumped out to a 5-0 advantage before the Cardinals scored four of the next five points. Kills from Brown, Maddi Barickman, and an ace from Emily Stallmann tied the set at seven as the Cardinals fought back to even the final set. With the score at 9-9, the Bluejays rallied off three straight points, but again North Central tied the set, this time at 14 thanks to a 3-0 run. The Bluejays took the next two points as they earned a 16-14 win in the fifth set and a 3-2 win for the match

The Cardinals tallied 26 block assists on the night, their most since 2015. Brown posted 22 kills on the day, the fifth most in the CCIW this season. Maddi Barickman totaled 43 assists while Stallmann recorded 22 digs, her fourth time surpassing 20 digs this season.

North Central returns home on Friday evening as they welcome Carroll University to Gregory Arena for a CCIW clash on Alumni Honors Night. The first serve is set for 6 p.m. against the Pioneers.

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