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

Nov. 5, 2024 - Becoming just the eighth Cardinal in program history to eclipse 1,000 career kills, senior Abbi Barickman reached the milestone in set one of the North Central College women's volleyball 3-0 victory over Knox College Tuesday night inside Gregory Arena. This win puts the Cardinals over the 20-win mark for the first time since 2015.

Barickman's fourth kill of the opening set gave the Cardinals a 5-3 advantage. Abby Buban and Amber Vande Hei sent home kills before Maddi Barickman set up her sister Abbi for her 1,000 career kill, making the score 9-7. A block from A. Barickman and Lauren Besnon capped off a 6-0 run for North Central. Back-to-back kills from Buban extended the Cardinal lead to nine, 19-10. Vande Hei clinched the first set victory with a kill to end a 5-0 run and give North Central a 25-12 win.

Abranet Layne, a transfer from Knox, secured her first kill of the match to put the Cardinals on top, 5-2. Riley Clark's kill capped off a six-point swing for North Central, taking an 11-3 advantage. Two kills from Alexie Stiles put the Cardinals in the driver's seat, up 19-10. Danni Moser locked up the second set with a kill to give North Central a 25-15 victory.

A kill from Najwa Williams followed by an ace from Demi Carpio put the Cardinals ahead, 9-6 in the third set. Isabelle Guerrero broke a 14-14 tie to give North Central a one-point edge, 15-16. Mercy Osayemi used her first kill of the match to highlight a 5-1 run, putting the Cardinals at match point. Sarah Harvey delivered an ace to claim a 25-20 win for North Central.

A. Barickman led all players with 15 kills while Layne followed with seven. M. Barickman dished out 27 aces over her two sets played. Bailey Houlihan racked up 21 digs on the night to pace all players. As a team, North Central hit .287 while holding the Prairie Fire to a .112 hitting percentage.

The Cardinals wrap up the regular season Saturday by visiting Benedictine University. The match is scheduled for 11 a.m. inside the Rice Center.

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