Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324

OSHKOSH, Wis. (Sept. 7, 2024) - Earning their first win of the Marty Petersen Invitational, the North Central College women's volleyball team swept Lakeland University before falling to the host No. 8 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Saturday at Kolf Sports Center.

The Cardinals found themselves down 10-2 early in the opening set to the Muskies. Riley Clark's kills opened a four-point swing to bring North Central within four. Following a 15-15 tie, Lakeland took a 22-18 lead. Kills from Abbi Barickman and Lauren Benson kept the Cardinals within reach. An attack error from the Muskies evened the score at 23-23. Bailey Houlihan set up Benson for her third kill of the opening set to put North Central on top, 24-23. A bad set by Lakeland clinched the 25-23 win for the Cardinals in set one.

North Central used two blocks from Maddi Barickman to jump out to a 7-0 lead in the second set. After the teams traded points, a kill from Amber Vande Hei extended the Cardinals' lead to eight, 17-9. Looking to close out a set two win, A. Barickman tallied five kills down the stretch to claim a 25-17 victory.

Again, the Cardinals stormed out of the gates, taking a 12-1 lead in set three. Abby Buban kept the momentum going with a kill before Vande Hei gave North Central a 19-4 lead. An ace from Katie Godo and another Vande Hei kill secured the dominating 25-6 third set win to earn a 3-0 victory over Lakeland.

M. Barickman dished out 26 assists while tallying two blocks. Houlihan totaled nine digs while A. Barickman recorded 12 kills in the match, the only player with double-digit kills. As a team, North Central hit .275 with a .556 hitting percentage in the third set.

In the Cardinals' second match of the day, kills from A. Barickman, Benson and Riley Clark helped open a 9-2 advantage over No. 8 UW-Oshkosh. A kill from Houlihan and Clark kept North Central in front, 13-10. The Titans clawed their way back into the match, tying the contest at 17. The teams traded points until Oshkosh scored eight of the final nine points to take a 25-22 win in the opening set.

M. Barickman assisted an A. Barickman kill to tie the second set at three, early on. Following a Titans run, North Central responded as Benson's third kill of the set knotted the score at 12. Godo set up Clark for a kill to keep the Cardinals within reach, 20-16, but Oshkosh used a 5-1 run to win the second set, 25-17.

The Titans jumped out to a 10-6 lead in set three. Vande Hei's kill ended the Oshkosh run before a kill from A. Barickman made the score 14-10. Five straight kills from the Titans put them in the driver's seat on the way to a 25-17 win in the third set. 

Pacing the Cardinal offense was A. Barickman who led all players with 10 kills while M. Barickman recorded 27 assists in the match. Houlihan totaled 14 digs over the three sets. 

North Central is back in action on Friday as they travel to Iowa for another four-match weekend. The Cardinals take on Simpson College at 5 p.m. before No. 22 Cornell College at 7 p.m. The Friday matches will take place at Cornell (Mt. Vernon, Iowa) while the Saturday matches will be hosted by Coe College (Cedar Rapids, Iowa).

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