Contact: Anna Fox, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, amfox@noctrl.edu
 
ROCK ISLAND (Mar. 2, 2024) - The North Central College men's volleyball team defeated Augustana College after trading off sets with the Vikings in an electric five-set match Saturday evening.
 
The Cardinals started off hot with six consecutive points, led by Viking errors and two kills by Moser (6-2). Augustana was able to catch up to North Central, but a 5-2 run by the Cardinal offense allowed North Central to take the lead again (12-9). The Cardinal slowly pulled away from the Vikings, and a service ace by Moser brought North Central close to the finish line (22-15). The Cardinals took the set off two straight Viking errors, 25-16.
 
Augustana got ahead early in the second set after going on a 6-1 run. However, a service error from the Vikings allowed the Cardinals to tie the game at 11-11. The two teams traded off points to tie the game once again (24-24). Augustana was the first team to strike in extra points, but North Central fought back, and the teams continued to trade off points. A kill by Tyler Donovan and an attack error by the Vikings allowed the Cardinals to take the lead, 27-26. Augustana gained momentum and took the set off of two Cardinal errors.
 
In the third set, North Central took a 4-2 lead with the help of a kill by Cooper Lundal and another service ace by Moser. At 7-6, the Cardinals earned five consecutive points, including a kill by Mitchell Hester, a service ace by Michael Szews, and a kill by Moser (12-6). The Cardinals and the Vikings traded off points, but a spurt of energy by the Vikings earned them four straight points (24-21). However, North Central crushed the Viking's hopes with a kill by Austin Scott to end the set (25-21).
 
The fourth set began with the teams trading off points before Augustana took a 6-2 point run to rip the lead from the North Central (10-5). North Central continued to fight, and an attack error by the Vikings brought the Cardinals within one (13-12). Augustana and North Central started to trade off points until the Vikings earned three consecutive points to take the set (25-21).
 
Neither team was backing down in the fifth set, trade off points once again. At 7-7, a service error from the Cardinals led the Vikings on a three-point run (10-7). North Central went on a 7-1 run to take the game.
 
Will Padgett was the Cardinals' main setter against the Vikings and led the Cardinals with 30 assists. Moser led the team with 16 kills, while Lundal followed close behind with 13 kills. Additionally, Moser recorded five aces and three blocks. Danny Smithers led the Cardinals' defense with 18 digs.
 
North Central will take the week to prepare for their game next Saturday, Mar. 9, when they take on Loras College inside Merner Field House. This highly anticipated match between the top teams in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin begins at 3 pm.
 
 
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.