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

Oct. 18, 2024 - Honoring the North Central College women's volleyball seniors before the match, the Cardinals swept St. Norbert College, 3-0 on Senior Night inside Gregory Arena behind a balanced effort from the upperclassmen.

Dawning an entire senior starting lineup, Abbi Barickman, Riley Clark, Amber Vande Hei and Isabelle Guerrero used kills early on as North Central led the Green Knights 7-6 in the opening set. Putting together a 6-2 run put the Cardinals on top, 12-10. The teams traded points until a 5-1 run capped off by a kill from Lauren Benson gave North Central a 20-17 advantage. Clark closed out set one with a kill, set up by Maddi Barickman to win 25-23.

Two aces from Bailey Houlihan highlighted a 6-0 start in the second set for North Central. A kill from Clark sparked another run, this time a 6-2 rally as the Cardinals doubled up St. Norbert, 16-8. Keeping their foot on the gas, A. Barickman, Benson, Guerrero and Vande Hei used kills down the stretch to secure a 25-18 victory in set two.

Looking to earn their 10th sweep of the season, another ace from Houlihan pushed the Cardinal lead to four, 5-1 early in set three. Staying on the attack, three aces from M. Barickman and a kill from Clark put North Central ahead, 13-3. M. Barickman recorded her second kill of the night to put the Cardinals up, 17-5. The Green Knights battled back with a 6-0 run, but Benson squashed the run with a kill before M. Barickman served up an ace, giving North Central a 23-15 lead. An attack error from St. Norbert cinched a 25-16 win for the Cardinals.

North Central was led offensively by M. Barickman who led all players with 31 assists, four aces and three blocks while her sister A. Barickman led all players with 10 kills. Houlihan paced the home team with 10 digs on the night. As a team, North Central hit .247 with the Green Knights posting a .163 hitting percentage.
North Central returns to the court a week from tonight as they take on Augustana College on Friday at 7 p.m. for a conference showdown inside the Carver Center.

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