Contact: Anna Fox, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, amfox@noctrl.edu
 
BEREA, OHIO (Feb. 16, 2024) - The North Central College men's volleyball team swept No. 9 Nazareth University 3-0 Friday night.
 
The match started with both teams trading off points, however, when the score was tied at 8-8 the Cardinals went on a three-point run started by a kill from Tyler Donovan (8-5). At 12-10 Mitchell Hester delivered a kill for the Cardinals to take the team on another high scoring 7-1 run (19-11). North Central took the set 25-13 after an error made by the Golden Flyers.
 
The second set saw seven tie scores and three lead changes. The Cardinals took an early 5-3 lead before the Golden Flyers tied the score at 5-5. Nazareth took a two-point lead but North Central tied the score at 8-8 and followed up with four straight points (11-8). The Cardinals continued to lead the set through back and forth play. A service error made by the Golden Flyers ended the set 25-20.
 
Hester opened up the score in the third set with a kill. Nazareth was not ready to go down without a fight and started off hot, taking five straight points. North Central put in the work to tie the score at 5-5 and again at 9-9. At 15-13, it was the Cardinals turn to go on a six-point run to take the lead (20-13). The Golden Flyers continued to chip away at the Cardinals lead but it was not enough. North Central completed the sweep, finishing the set 25-19.
 
Donovan led the Cardinals in assists for the ninth consecutive match, this time with 25 assists. Jared Moser led the team with 14 kills and Cooper Lundal tallied two service aces. Lundal also led the team with three blocks while Austin Scott and Hester followed with two blocks each. Freshman Caelan Koth recorded nine digs.
 
North Central plays their last match of the Yellow Jacket Invitational at 12 pm (EST) Saturday, Feb. 17, when they take on Messiah University in Berea, Ohio.
 
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.