Contact: Alex Mielcarz, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, ajmielcarz@noctrl.edu
MILWAUKEE (Feb. 13, 2026) – The North Central men's volleyball program dropped a second straight match for the first time since February of last year tonight, falling in straight sets to RV Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) in Milwaukee.
Brannen Almarales had 16 kills for the Cardinals in the loss, tying him for the fifth most kills in a three-set match in program history.
MSOE (5-4) took the first set 25-19. The Raiders built an early 7-4 advantage, but the Cardinals were able to tie it a few rallies later at 9-9 after a Almarales kill. MSOE scored on eight of the next 11 rallies to build a 17-12 advantage.
North Central (6-4) whittled the advantage down to four after another Almarales kill (21-17), but that's the closest the Cardinals would come in the set, as the Raiders would go on to claim the first 25-19.
The second set saw the Cardinals jump out to an early lead. An Elijah Landeros kill broke a 7-7 tie and kick-started a 9-3 run for North Central that included a pair of kills from Landeros and Almarales, as well as a block from Mitchell Hester, giving the Cardinals a 16-10 lead. MSOE shrunk the lead to three (19-16), but coach Kevin Kustura's squad responded with a small run to extend the lead back to 22-17, punctuated by a Landeros kill.
North Central worked its way to set point (24-21), but two miscues and an MSOE kill knotted the set at 24. The Cardinals did not have another set point opportunity, as MSOE had three set point opportunities, eventually cashing in to win it 29-27.
The Raiders dominated the third set of play 25-10, accruing seven aces in the decisive set. MSOE finished the match on a 44-21 run.
MSOE was led by Seth Thomas' nine kills, nine digs and three aces, while Callan Harris finished the sweep with eight kills and three blocks.
Almarales finished a dig shy of a double-double, scoring on 16 swings while digging out nine Raider attacks. His 16 kills tie Jared Moser for the fifth-most kills in a three-set match in program history.
Angelo Delgado had 21 assists on the night, while Jonathan Brown led the defensive effort with 11 digs. The Cardinals finished the match with season lows in total blocks (three) and hitting percentage (.031).
The Cardinals are off this weekend, but are back on the court Tuesday against Aurora University at 7 p.m. inside Gregory Arena.
