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

Apr. 8, 2023 - The North Central College men's volleyball team turned in a 3-1 victory over North Park University to solidify the program's first-ever undefeated record in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) play and extended its winning streak to twelve in proper fashion for the Cardinals Senior Day celebration on Saturday.

North Central's record stands at 20-3, 10-0 CCIW after taking down North Park (12-15, 2-8 CCIW) in their final regular season match. The win marks the program's best record in its history and the longest winning streak for the Cardinals. 

Three Cardinals turned in double-digit kills led by Jared Moser with 14, Jeremy Cardenas with 12, and Ben Williams with 10. Moser also had three aces and five digs while Cardenas totaled three solo blocks and one block assist. Connor Davis also had four blocks while Parker Nelson led the team with 13 digs. Tyler Donovan had 37 assists on the day while also getting in on a block assist.

North Central quickly moved to an 11-4 lead in the first set thanks to back-to-back blocks by Jake Miller and Davis and kills by Miller, Williams, and Moser. With Moser at the service line, the Cardinals went on an eight-point run to extend their lead to 19-5 before the Vikings regained the possession. A kill by Moser put North Central at set point before a North Park service error gave the first set to the Cardinals 25-11.

North Park began to find their rhythm in set two, holding the Cardinals to one and two point possessions at the start but a four-point rally for North Central led by points from Davis and Miller gave the Cardinals a 22-15 advantage. Set two ended similarly to set one as a kill by Gabriel Aguado put North Central in set-point position before a North Park service error gave the set win to the Cardinals 25-18.

North Park's Erik Bullard took the reigns in set three totaling five of the Vikings' 10 kills as set three say 18 tied scores and nine lead changes. Three straight points for North Park ended set three in favor of the Vikings 25-23.

The Cardinals were right back in it for set four, turning a 7-7 tied score into an 11-7 advantage as Cardenas knocked down a kill and a block while Michael Szews notched a service ace. North Central maintained its lead for the rest of the set as Moser secured the Cardinals' last three points to take the set 25-21.

North Central is the top seed heading into the CCIW Tournament and will host the No.4 team for a semifinal match on Wednesday, April 12 at 7 p.m. inside Gregory Arena.

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