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

Oct. 4, 2024 - Taking on the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire inside Gregory Arena for the first time, the North Central College women's volleyball team picked up their eighth sweep of the season in a 3-1 victory over the Blugolds.

Demi Carpio's ace gave the Cardinals a 3-0 advantage early in the opening set. A kill from Abbi Barickman, set up by Maddi Barickman began a 5-1 rally to give North Central an 8-3 lead. The Blugolds fought back to even the set at 11-11 before the Cardinals rattled off four straight points. Closing out set one, a kill from A. Barickman sparked a 6-0 run which earned North Central a 25-17 victory.

A kill from Riley Clark and an ace from A. Barickman halted a Bluegold run before a kill from Abby Buban knotted the second set at 11-11. The teams traded points until the Cardinals used an 8-2 rally to put themselves ahead, 23-20. A UW-Eau Claire error and kill from A. Barickman locked up a 25-22 win in set two for North Central.

Looking to secure another sweep, kills from A. Barickman and Lauren Benson highlighted an 8-2 run to open the third set for the Cardinals. Buban's third kill of the set capped off an 11-2 from North Central who claimed a 25-13 victory in set three to earn a 3-0 win over UW-Eau Claire. This marks the first win over the Blugolds in program history.

Bailey Houlihan led all players with 18 digs in the match. A. Barickman posted a match-high 11 kills and three aces on the day. Amber Vande Hei tallied two blocks as M. Barickman dished out 33 assists over the three sets. North Central hit .184 while holding UW-Eau Claire to a .132 hitting percentage.

The Cardinals host No. 15 North Park University Wednesday for match two of the five-straight matches inside Gregory Arena. First serve against the Vikings is set for 7 p.m. inside Gregory Arena.

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