Contact: Anna Fox, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, amfox@noctrl.edu
 
Feb. 15, 2024 - The No. 10 North Central College men's volleyball team defeated No. 19 Baldwin Wallace University 3-1 in their first match of the Yellow Jacket Invitational hosted by Baldwin Wallace.
 
The match began with an even fight from the Cardinals and the Yellow Jackets. The first set saw 15 tied scores and five lead changes. Tied at 20-20, Austin Scott made a kill to put the Cardinals up by one. Both teams traded off errors and kills before North Central started to edge away. Jared Moser delivered a kill followed by a service ace by Tyler Donovan to end the set, 25-22.
 
North Central held their momentum into the second set. The Cardinals jumped to a quick 6-1 lead, but the Yellow Jackets fought back to earn themselves two points. North Central then went on a five-point run (11-3). The two teams took turns earning points, yet the Cardinals continued to hold their lead. The set was ended by a block from Scott and Mitchell Hester (25-14).
 
The third set of the match made program history as the longest set the Cardinals have ever played. The set featured 23 tied scores and eight lead changes. At 34-34 the Yellow Jackets were able to execute two kills to take the set 36-34.
 
Both teams continued to fight into the fourth set and took turns earning points. The Cardinals won three straight points at 8-8 as a result of kills by Hester and Donovan (11-8). Continuing to fight tooth and nail, North Central broke the tie at 21-21 by a kill from Caelan Koth. Moser made a service ace before the Yellow Jackets took advantage of a Cardinal error. A kill by Cooper Lundal and an error from the Yellow Jackets finished off the match (25-22).
 
Moser led the Cardinals offense with 19 kills while Donovan recorded 39 assists. The North Central defense stood tall with seven blocks by Hester and 14 digs by Koth.
 
North Central will face No. 9 Nazareth University at 7:30 pm (EST) in their second match of the Yellow Jacket Invitational in Ursrung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center.
 
Download the free North Central Cardinals app, available for iOS and Android devices, to receive up to the minute news, scores, and updates on your favorite North Central teams. Click HERE for more information.