Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
Mar. 6, 2025 - In a back-and-forth battle between College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin foes, the North Central College men's volleyball team stepped up when it mattered by hitting .571 in the fifth and final set to earn a 3-2 victory over the Vikings Thursday night inside Gregory Arena.
The Vikings jumped out to a 7-4 lead before a block from Mitchell Hester and Tyler Donovan brought North Central within a point, 7-6. An 11-3 run from Augustana put the visitors in the driver's seat in the opening set, taking an 18-9 advantage. Kills from Hester and Jeffrey McEachern sparked a 6-2 rally for the Cardinals but the Vikings secured a 25-18 win in set one.
Chris Mactal served up an ace early in the second set before a kill from BK Bartlett put North Central ahead by two, 7-5. A Viking service error allowed the Cardinals to score five of the next six points before a Cooper Lundal kill put North Central on top by four, 14-10. Another 6-2 run from the home team was met with a five-point swing from Augustana to tighten the contest at 20-18. The momentum stayed with the Vikings who put the Cardinals against a wall with a 24-22 lead. Carson Steinbach halted the Augustana run with a kill before a block from Lundal and Donovan clinched the second set, 27-25 as the Cardinals scored five of the set's final six points.
The teams traded points in the early going of set three as a Steinbach kill put the Cardinals within one, 9-8. Bartlett scored three straight points for the Cardinals before a Vikings service error opened an 8-0 run highlighted by two blocks from Lundal and Steinbach. An ace from Steinbach followed by kills from McEachern and Bartlett secured a 25-19 third set win for North Central.
With their backs against the wall, Augustana kept it close in the fourth set as a kill from Mactal put North Central on top by two, 10-8. A kill from Donovan capped off a 6-2 rally for the Cardinals, jumping out to a 16-11 edge. Augustana responded with a 9-0 run to take a three-point lead, 22-19. Both sides battled down the stretch, but the Vikings earned a hard-fought 29-27 win to force a decisive fifth set.
The Cardinals came out swinging as kills from Lundal, Donovan, Bartlett, Mactal and McEachern doubled up the Vikings in the early going, 6-3. Back-to-back kills from Donovan kept North Central on top, 10-5. Clinching the match, Donovan set up Bartlett for the kill to secure the 15-8 victory.
North Central's balanced offensive attack saw five players with double-digit kills, led by Bartlett with a season-high 14. Donovan also posted a season-best with 50 assists, tying Michael Trunzo for the fifth-most in a single match in program history. At the net, Lundal's eight blocks rank second-most in school history for single-match. As a team, the Cardinals hit .228 with the Vikings hitting .271.
North Central takes a 13-day break before hosting No. 4 Carthage to begin the second half of the conference season. That match is set for 7 p.m. inside Gregory Arena on Mar. 19.
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