Contact: Anna Fox, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, amfox@noctrl.edu
 
BLOOMINGTON, ILL. (Mar. 16, 2024) - The North Central College men's volleyball team earned their sixth sweep of the season after taking down Illinois Wesleyan University 3-0 Saturday afternoon.
 
Illinois Wesleyan started the match off with a quick 6-2 lead. The Titans stayed ahead while the Cardinals chipped away at their lead. A kill by BK Bartlett led North Central on a three-point run, and the Cardinals tied the game at 15-15. Tyler Donovan delivered a service ace to give North Central the lead. The Cardinals took the set with a kill by Cooper Lundal.
 
In the second set, Donovan led the Cardinals on a four-point run to take the lead (4-0). The two teams traded off points until 12-11 when North Central earned three consecutive points (15-11). Two Titan errors and a kill by Jared Moser increased the Cardinals' lead to 20-13. Illinois Wesleyan found some momentum and brought the game within two points (24-22). Bartlett secured the set by a kill off an assist from Donovan.
 
Bartlett continued his excellent play by earning the first two points of the third set with back-to-back kills (2-0). North Central went on a 4-1 run to increase their lead to 8-4. At 10-8, the Cardinals earned five consecutive points (15-8). Donovan earned his third service ace of the day to bring North Central within three points of taking the match. Mitchell Hester gave the Cardinals the sweep with a kill, 25-15.
 
Bartlett led the team with 12 kills. Donovan tallied 38 assists and three service aces. Moser and Hester each tallied three key blocks for North Central. Caelan Koth and Danny Smithers both recorded nine digs for the Cardinals.
 
The Cardinals will look for their fourth College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) win of the season at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Mar. 20, when North Central hosts Augustana College.
 
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