Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324
(Written by: Taiah Gallisath, Associate Director of Athletics Communication)
 
Sept. 13, 2025 – The North Central College women's volleyball team utilized two strong comeback sets to outlast the Rhodes College Lynx Saturday evening, Sept. 13, inside Gregory Arena. With set scores of 25-23, 16-25, 25-23, and 25-21, the Cardinals improve to 8-2 on the year, while Rhodes falls to 5-6.
 
North Central got out hot in the first set, taking a 5-1 lead that featured two Danni Moser service aces. Rhodes answered, though, with a six-point swing to move ahead 8-6. The Cardinals battled back for the 12-9 advantage, thanks to a solo block and a kill by Moser. Rhodes fought their way ahead with a five-point rally to lead 17-14. With Katie Godo at the service line, she helped force three attack errors by the Lynx and laid down an ace to bring the score back even at 22-22.
 
With the score set at 23-23, Buban notched a kill off the assist from Harvey, followed by an ace from Demi Carpio, and a Rhodes error to give North Central the set one win, 25-23.
 
Rhodes took control of set two early on and utilized multiple four and five-point rallies to win the set 25-16.
 
The Lynx took an early 6-3 lead in the third set just before back-to-back kills by Sarah Lezon kicked off four straight points for the Cardinals, which was punctuated by an Abranet Layne and Lezon block. Rhodes regained a temporary advantage until three straight kills from Moser got the crowd inside Gregory Arena rowdy. Jordan Surber felt the momentum shift, delivering back-to-back aces for the 16-14 lead.
 
The Cardinals went to battle for a while with Buban laying down a massive kill off the assist from Ava Hoff to lead 21-20. The third set saw the Cardinals and the Lynx trading points again until Rhodes was at the service line with North Central at set point, 24-23. Head coach Ray Gooden called a timeout in an effort to ice the Lynx, but Rhodes's Caroline Short managed to put the ball in play. Buban laid down a hammer of a kill, too strong for the Lynx to keep it in play as the Cardinals took set three 25-23.
 
Rhodes got out to a substantial six-point lead in the fourth set before North Central was able to settle in for a four-point run that featured a pair of kills from Moser and two more from Benson and Harvey to cut the Lynx lead to 14-2.
 
Kills from Benson and Abby Buban tied it up at 17-all before trading the next three points with Rhodes. Harvey set up Buban for a kill that leveled the score at 19-19 and sparked a six-point rally for the Cardinals. A pair of Lynx attack errors, combined with a block from Benson and Moser, and two more kills for Moser, put North Central at set point with a 24-19 advantage. Rhodes acquired two more points on Cardinal miscues, but an error of their own pushed North Central to a 25-21 set win to take the match in four.
 
An even match saw North Central with a narrow lead in hitting percentages, .177 to Rhodes' .113. The Cardinals held statistical advantages in kills (48-39), blocks (6-3), assists (45-36), and digs (53-47). Rhodes led win 18 service aces to North Central's 10.
 
Individually, Lezon led the Cardinals with 14 kills, followed by Moser with 12 and Buban with 10, while Harvey racked up 38 assists. Three Cardinals had two aces, including Moser, Carpio, and Godo. Defensively, Godo led the way with 18 digs, followed by Aleesa Zebold with 10, and Benson had a team-high three blocks on the day.


North Central will open College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play Wednesday, Sept. 17, as the Cardinals host Carroll University inside Gregory Arena at 7 p.m.