Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
CHICAGO (Sept. 28, 2024) - Taking a break from conference play, the North Central College women's volleyball team claimed two sweeps on the day at the IIT Triangular, defeating Lake Forest College and the host Illinois Institute of Technology on Saturday inside Keating Sports Center.
Two aces from Bailey Houlihan highlighted a 5-0 start for the Cardinals in the opening set against the Foresters. Following Lake Forest's first point of the match, a kill from Abbi Barickman sparked a 7-0 run, giving North Central a 12-1 advantage. Demi Carpio delivered an ace before Riley Clark's second kill of the set put the Cardinals ahead, 17-4. Closing out the first set, A. Barickman used a kill to give North Central a 25-8 victory.
A kill from Danni Moser started a four-point swing for the Cardinals, capped off by an Amber Vande Hei kill to put North Central on top, 8-6. Sarah Harvey followed a Najwa Williams kill with back-to-back aces as the Cardinals stormed ahead, 16-10. Vande Hei's kill, set up by Katie Godo, began a 7-2 rally which clinched a 25-16 win in set two.
Jumping out to a lead again, Abranet Layne's first kill of the day put North Central up 4-1 in set three. The teams traded points until an 8-0 run by the Cardinals, started by a kill from Williams, gave North Central a 16-8 advantage. The Foresters battled back, but Lauren Benson put the game away with a kill to secure a 25-23 win in the third set.
Williams led the well-balanced Cardinal effort with seven kills, followed closely by Vande Hei and Benson with six. Harvey tallied four aces while leading all players with 17 assists. Houlihan racked up 16 digs in the match.
In North Central's second match of the day, an ace from Maddi Barickman evened the first set at 6-6. A 6-0 run from the Cardinals forced an IIT timeout as a block from Clark and Benson put North Central up 13-7. Three straight kills from Clark, Vande Hei and Abby Buban extended the Cardinal advantage to eight, 18-10. Benson's kill locked up the 25-15 victory in set one.
Clark's first kill of the second set put North Central on top, 7-1 before the Scarlet Hawks fought back within one, 10-9. Each side traded points as a kill from Benson gave North Central a 16-15 edge. Houlihan broke a 21-21 tie with an ace before the Cardinals scored the final four points to clinch a 25-21 win
Vande Hei opened the Cardinal scoring with a kill in the third set. The Scarlet Hawks took control early with a 13-10 lead. A block from Vande Hei and Buban knotted the contest at 14-14. A kill from Clark followed by an IIT error put the Cardinals up by two, 20-18, forcing a Scarlet Hawk timeout. Three straight aces from Godo wrapped up a 25-20 win for North Central, earning their seventh sweep of the season.
Benson led the Cardinals with 10 kills while M. Barickman dished out 28 aces over the three sets. Godo tallied four aces with Houlihan recording 13 digs. As a team, the Cardinals hit .168 while holding IIT to just a .044 hitting percentage.
North Central hosts Wheaton College on Wednesday evening for the first College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin inside Merner Field House this season. The first serve is slated for 7 p.m.
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