Contact: Anna Fox, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, amfox@noctrl.edu
 
Feb. 15, 2025 - Earning their fifth consecutive win and fourth straight sweep, the North Central College men's volleyball teams defeated Dominican University in Gregory Arena on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Cardinals got off to a hot start after a kill by Tyler Donovan that led North Central to earn the first three points (3-0). After the Stars earned one point, Cooper Lundal delivered a kill, and the Cardinals capitalized on a Dominican error to lead the set 5-1. The Stars could not catch up, and a kill from Austin Scott ended the set. North Central held a .435 attack percentage in the first set.
 
The two teams traded points back-and-forth to open the second set. Down one, at 5-4, the Cardinals earned four consecutive points with the help of kills by Lundal and Carson Steinbach. North Central continued to work to increase their lead, and at 19-14, they earned five consecutive points (23-14). Looking to move into the third set, Jeffrey McEachern supplied back-to-back kills. The Cardinals won the second set 25-15.
 
The third set saw 13 tied scores and four lead changes. As Dominican desperately tried to win a set, the Stars took an early 4-2 lead after earning four straight points. However, North Central worked fast to tie the score at five all. The teams kept the score close, continuing to tie all the way to 23-23. Donovan connected with Steinbach to put the set within reach. The Stars looked to tie up the score with a kill but were denied with a huge solo block by McEachern. The Cardinals won the set 25-23 and earned their fourth consecutive sweep.
 
Steinbach was a key component of the sweep, recording 10 kills, eight digs, two blocks, and two service aces. McEachern tallied eight kills and one service ace. Donovan led the team with 24 assists, while both he and Scott recorded seven digs.
 
North Central will begin College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) play at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, when they travel to Bloomington, Ill., to take on the Illinois Wesleyan University Titans.
 
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