Contact: Anna Fox, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, amfox@noctrl.edu
 
Mar. 22, 2025 - The North Central College men's volleyball team advanced their winning streak to four consecutive games by defeating Illinois Wesleyan University 3-0 Saturday afternoon.
 
The first set saw seven tied scores and three lead changes. After trading points, North Central and Illinois Wesleyan found themselves tied at 16 all. The Cardinals were down a point until three straight points allowed them to take the lead as a result of kills by Tyler Donovan and Mitchell Hester while capitalizing on a Titian error (18-16). North Central kept the pressure on Illinois Wesleyan to win the set 25-20 after a dominating kill from Tyler Donovan.
 
The Cardinals jumped out to a 9-5 lead in the second set before the Titans brought the score to within one (10-9). However, North Central took a 5-1 run, produced by kills from BK Bartlett, Hester, and three Illinois Wesleyan attack errors (15-10). The two teams began to trade off points, and at 24-18, a Titan error secured the second set for the Cardinals.
 
The third set opened up with North Central earning the first four points; from there, the set was all Cardinals. At 9-6, Donovan led the team at the service line, tallying two service aces and helping North Central take another four-point run (13-6). Up 15-9, there was no stopping the Cardinal's momentum. North Central took a 10-1 run, with the final point secured by a kill from Donovan, to end the final set, 25-10
 
Carson Steinbach led the team with eight kills but was followed closely by Donovan and Hester, each recording six kills. Donovan controlled the Cardinal's assists and service aces, recording 24 and three, respectively. Bartlett earned a career-high of 11 digs. The Cardinals hit .342 as a team, with the Titans hitting only .056.
 
North Central will close out their homestand Wednesday, Mar. 26, at 7 p.m. when they take on No. 15, the University of California, Santa Cruz, in Gregory Arena.
 
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