Men's Volleyball NCAA Regional Championship Preview

Contact: Taiah Gallisath, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, tkgallisath@noctrl.edu

Apr. 21, 2023 - The North Central College men’s volleyball team will host an NCAA Regional Tournament for the first time ever after hoisting the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament trophy a week ago, and notching the No. 1 ranking in the region. The Cardinals will take on Benedictine University in Friday’s first semifinal match.

“The guys are super excited to play at home,” said head coach, Kyle Exline. “The squad is excited to play in front of our home crowd and we are going to enjoy every moment of this experience.”

“A special thank you to the administrative team that put together a wonderful venue and event atmosphere to make it special for the student-athletes.”

The regional pod consists of North Central (22-3), Benedictine (18-7), Carthage College (17-7), and UC Santa Cruz (21-12). The Cardinals defeated each of the three programs earlier this season while most recently battling four sets with Carthage College on April 15 to claim the CCIW Tournament championship for the first time ever.

North Central took down Benedictine 3-1 in February at the annual Christian Staple's Battle of Chicago & Maple just before heading to California to play three matches, one of which was against then-12th-ranked UC Santa Cruz where North Central came out victorious with a three-set sweep.

“All four teams in this regional pod are very strong and it should make for an exciting weekend,” said Exline.

In the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Poll, North Central came in at No. 5 while Carthage jumped to No. 8 in the national rankings. Carthage enters this year’s tournament as the two-time defending national champions.

North Central is running on a 14-game win streak--the longest in its history--as they enter the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals are leading all Division III programs in kills per set (13.31) while ranking third in assists per set (12.09). The Cardinals have the division’s fourth-best hitting percentage of .326 and win-loss percentage of .880.

The Cardinals' efforts have been continually rewarded this season, earning the highest number of selections in a given year for All-CCIW and AVCA All-Region in program history. Five Cardinals were named to All-CCIW teams as Jared Moser, Tyler Donovan, and Parker Nelson were named to First Team while Jeremy Cardenas and Austin Scott were named to Second Team. Moser, Donovan, and Cardenas were also recognized as All-West Region team members.

The North Central Coaching Staff swept the conference and AVCA Coaching Staff of the Year award, while first-year Connor Davis was named the CCIW Newcomer of the Year.

Moser’s exceptional performances this season have been reflected in his selections as the CCIW Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year and the AVCA All-West Region Player of the Year. The Wheeling native was also recognized as the AVCA National Player of the Week twice this season. Moser becomes the first Cardinal in program history to be named to the All-CCIW and All-Region teams for four-straight years. The senior outside hitter and 2020 Second Team All-American has so far recorded 321 kills on the season to break his own single-season record and ranks sixth in the nation for his 4.12 kills per set average. Moser also owns the career records for kills (923) and service aces (96).

Jeremy Cardenas has been an asset to the Cardinals at the net, after totaling 95 blocks this season to break the program’s single-season record and continues to inflate his career blocks record (245). The Bolingbrook native ranks amongst the nation’s best in blocks per set (1.173) and hitting percentages (.439) this season. The senior middle blocker and 2022 First Team All-American recently claimed his third All-CCIW and second All-Region honors.

Tyler Donovan has been crucial to the Cardinals' offense this season, stepping into the starting setter position as a junior, and quickly taking over the national rankings in assists per set (10.32). The Lindenhurst native has already recorded 867 assists this year to break the program’s single-season record while also leading the team in digs (152) and has the second most blocks (61) and service aces (18) for the Cardinals. Donovan claimed his first-ever All-CCIW and All-Region accolades this season and looks to continue those impressive performances into the NCAA Tournament.

North Central will face Benedictine in the first semifinal match on Friday, April 21 at 4 p.m. inside Gregory Arena with the Carthage vs. UC Santa Cruz match to follow at 6:30 p.m. The regional championship will be contested on Saturday, April 22 at 6 p.m.

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North Central College Cardinals

North Central College Cardinals

Men's Volleyball NCAA Regional Championship Preview

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