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

Oct. 16, 2024 - In a battle between teams entering the contest on seven-match winning streaks, the North Central College women's volleyball team fell to league-leading Illinois Wesleyan University, 3-2 on Wednesday night inside Gregory Arena.

Abby Buban's first kill of the match evened the opening set at 6-6. The teams traded points until the Titans rattled off five points in a row to take a 15-10 lead. The Cardinals battled back to knot the contest at 18-18 thanks to a 7-1 rally sparked by back-to-back kills from Riley Clark. Illinois Wesleyan pulled away down the stretch, winning 25-23.

An ace by Maddi Barickman concluded a four-point swing for North Central who took an early 6-2 advantage in set two. After the Titans tied the contest at nine, Abbi Barickman gave the Cardinals a two-point edge with a kill, 12-10. Lauren Benson's kill opened a 4-0 rally for North Central, taking an 18-14 lead. The Cardinals kept the momentum by scoring the final seven points of the second set to earn a 25-16 victory.

The third set featured back-and-forth action as a kill from Buban leveled the score at 9-9. Illinois Wesleyan used a 7-1 rally to take a 16-10 lead in set three. North Central clawed their way back in it as a kill from Clark brought the Cardinals back within two, 16-14. The Titans kept their foot on the gas to claim a 25-20 win in the third set.

Two early kills in the fourth set from Benson put North Central ahead, 6-4. The Cardinals went on a 7-0 run, highlighted by a Bailey Houlihan ace and two kills from A. Barickman to take a 17-10. Buban's second kill of the set maintained the Cardinal lead, 21-13. Back-to-back blocks from North Central closed out a 25-15 win to force a fifth and final set.
Illinois Wesleyan jumped out to a 6-2 advantage early in set five. Again, North Central fought back as two kills from Clark brought the Cardinals within one, 9-8. A. Barickman's kill evened the contest at 10-10 before the Titans scored five of the final six points to win 15-11.

Clark led the Cardinals with 11 kills on the night with A. Barickman and Buban each with 11. M. Barickman dished out 43 assists over the five sets while Houlihan recorded 33 digs. Kendal Franklin paced North Central with three blocks. As a team, the Cardinals hit .162 while holding the Titans to their lowest hitting percentage of their conference slate, .098.

North Central takes a break from conference play as they host St. Norbert College on Friday evening for senior night and Pack The Nest. The Cardinals and Knights have not played since 2013. The senior night festivities are set to begin at 6:50 p.m. inside Gregory Arena.

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