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

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Oct. 13, 2023) - In a match played exclusively by the senior class, the North Central College women's volleyball team used a season-high 14 aces against Crown College on the way to a three-set victory on Senior Night inside of Gregory Arena.

Anna Gawron opened the first set with an ace before back-to-back kills from Kendra Battle capped off a 9-0 run for the Cardinals. A block from Sarah Elischer and Katie Little added to the North Central advantage, 12-4. Adian Brown began another rally for the Cardinals with a 7-2 run to close out the first set, 25-12.

North Central jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to kills from Emma Happ and Little. After Crown took the lead, Brooke Duncan and Hannah Eshoo recorded kills to give the lead right back to North Central. Two service aces from Brown extended the Cardinal advantage to three, 10-7 in the second set. Little's kill sparked a five-point swing for North Central as a Trinity Evans ace added to the lead, 16-10. A 9-3 run secured the second set victory, 25-14.

With a slight 5-4 lead, Taylor O'Malley served up an ace to open a 7-0 run for North Central. After the teams traded points, a kill from Majila Spahija followed by an ace from Kendall Kreuger put the Cardinals ahead by 10, 21-11. Another kill from Eshoo, set up by Aliyah Valentine doubled up the Polars, 22-11 before a kill from Elischer clinched the 25-14 set and the eighth sweep of the season for North Central.

As a team, the Cardinals hit .347 while holding Crown to a .012 hitting percentage on the night. Little led the team with 10 kills followed by Brown (8) and Battle (6) while Gawron dished out 28 assists over the three sets.

The Cardinals conclude the Tiffany Robinson Memorial Tournament tomorrow as they welcome Saint Mary's University (Minn.) and Trine University to Gregory Arena. North Central's match with the Cardinals begins at 2 p.m. with the nightcap against the Thunder at 6 p.m.

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