Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
Sept. 21, 2024 - Winning their third straight match, the North Central College women's volleyball team took down Edgewood College, 3-1 on Saturday afternoon to close out the North Central Invitational. The Cardinal offense racked up 53 kills to the Eagles' 29.
Kills from Lauren Benson and Riley Clark put North Central in front, 5-3 early in the opening set. Following two kills from Amber Vande Hei, Abbi Barickman rattled off five kills over the match's next six points to push the Cardinal lead to four, 14-10. Clark's kill sparked an 8-2 run for North Central, capped off by Bailey Houlihan's ace to secure the 25-15 win in set one for the Cardinals.
Benson gave North Central a slight 7-6 edge in set two with her fourth kill of the match. A. Barickman closed out a 6-1 rally for North Central, taking a 13-10 lead. The Eagles fought back to even the contest at 17-17 before scoring the set's final three points to win 25-23.
The Cardinals jumped out to an 8-4 lead as Maddi Barickman dished out four assists over the run. Abby Buban began an 8-2 rally with a kill for the Cardinals who took a 19-9 advantage in the third set. Buban and Vande Hei each tallied two kills over the set's final five points to clinch a 25-14 victory in set three.
Set four began with a block from Vande Hei before a kill from Benson put the Cardinals ahead by three, 8-5. After Edgewood knotted the set at 10-10, North Central scored seven of the next eight points to take a decisive 17-11 lead. Another rally from the Cardinals, this time a 7-0 run capped off by an ace from Houlihan gave North Central match point, 24-13. An error from the Eagles gave the Cardinals a 25-15 win in the fourth set and a 3-1 victory over Edgewood.
North Central held the Eagles to just a .031 hitting percentage while the Cardinals hit .206 on the day. A. Barickman totaled 17 kills with Vande Hei and Buban each tallying nine. M. Barickman dished out 43 assists with Houlihan netting 16 digs. Vande Hei and Benson each recorded three blocks.
North Central begins College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin play on Wednesday evening. The Cardinals visit Carthage College for a match beginning at 7 p.m. inside Tarble Arena.
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