Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. (Aug. 30, 2025) - Closing out the Lady Blue Invitational, the North Central College women's volleyball team dropped a pair of tight four-set matches to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Illinois College on Saturday inside Serman Gymnasium.
A kill from Abby Buban halted a 6-2 run by the Fightin' Engineers early in the opening set. The Cardinals responded with a 9-1 run, highlighted by two kills from Danni Moser. After Rose-Hulman pulled within two, Sarah Harvey's ace capped a five-point swing for North Central, giving the Cardinals a 17-10 lead. The teams traded points until Harvey connected with Moser for the final point of the set, sealing a 25-19 win.
Set two remained close, with a kill from Lauren Benson putting North Central ahead 7-6. Three straight points—thanks to kills from Buban, Benson and Moser—tied the set at 15-15. A 5-0 run by Rose-Hulman closed out the set, 25-20.
The Fightin' Engineers opened the third set with a 10-3 lead. Jordan Surber delivered an ace to keep the Cardinals within reach. North Central narrowed the gap to four but couldn't overcome Rose-Hulman's fast start, falling 25-16. Sarah Lezon recorded a kill early in the fourth set to give the Cardinals a 5-3 edge, but a 6-0 run by Rose-Hulman put the Engineers ahead for good, clinching the match with a 25-19 win.
Buban tallied a career-high 15 kills, followed by Moser with 14. Harvey recorded 41 assists across the four sets. Moser and Demi Carpio each posted double-digit digs. The Cardinals hit .206 compared to Rose-Hulman's .273.
In their second match of the day, North Central faced host Illinois College. The Cardinals fell behind early but rallied to tie the first set at 10-10 on a kill by Lezon. Neither team led by more than three points until three straight attack errors by the Lady Blues gave North Central a 16-15 advantage. A block from Moser forced an Illinois timeout with the Cardinals up 19-17. Illinois responded by scoring eight of the final 11 points to take the set, 25-21.
The teams traded points early in the second set, with kills from Ava Hoff and Moser bringing North Central within three at 11-8. Benson added a kill to close the gap to 13-12, but a 7-2 rally by Illinois pushed the Lady Blues ahead 20-14. They went on to win the set, 25-20, and looked to complete the sweep.
An ace from Aleesa Zebold tied the third set at 3-3. A trio of Illinois errors, combined with a block from Benson and a kill by Moser, sparked a 6-1 run for North Central. Illinois battled back to tie the set at 15-15, but the Cardinals responded with a four-point swing and clinched the set, 25-10, on a kill from Abranet Layne.
Illinois jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the fourth set. North Central slowly closed the gap, with an ace from Hoff bringing the Cardinals within one at 10-9. A 6-2 rally by the Lady Blues extended their lead. Kills from Benson and Hoff kept North Central close, and back-to-back aces from Hoff forced an Illinois timeout with the Cardinals trailing 22-19. Illinois held on for a 25-21 win to secure the 3-1 match victory.
Buban, Moser and Benson each recorded nine kills, while Lezon added eight. Harvey dished out 31 assists, and Hoff tallied three aces. Layne totaled 2.5 blocks, and Zebold posted 15 digs. North Central hit .081 compared to Illinois' .129.
The Cardinals return to action Friday at the Raider Invite, hosted by Milwaukee School of Engineering. North Central opens the four-match tournament at 5 p.m. inside the Kern Center against Benedictine University.
