Contact: Alex Mielcarz, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, ajmielcarz@noctrl.edu

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (March 4, 2026) – Coach Kevin Kustura and the North Central men's volleyball program got back to .500 in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin play on Wednesday night, defeating North Park University in straight sets for the team's first sweep since February 6 against Wisconsin Lutheran.

Brannen Almarales turned in the best offensive performance on the court, leading the match with 14 kills and five blocks. Mitchell Hester and his .500 hitting percentage turned in eight kills on the evening while blocking four North Park swings.  

North Central (8-7, 2-2 CCIW) turned in its most dominant set of volleyball this season, defeating North Park (1-15, 0-4) 25-13 in the opening set. The two teams played tight in the early going, but the Cardinals started pulling away after a Viking service error knotted the set at three. From then on, the Cardinals outscored the Vikings 22-10 the rest of the way, using five kills from Almarales and two more from Hester along the way.

North Central had its best set from the service line this season in the opening frame as well, as the Cardinals totaled five aces in the first set alone. They finished with six in the match, led by Almarales and Jeffrey McEachern Jr., who had a pair of aces each.

The Vikings corrected course in the second set, playing the Cardinals much closer in their second attempt, falling to North Central 25-20. The Cardinals used a Chris Mactal kill to take an early 12-9 lead on North Park, but the Vikings struck back, going on a 4-0 run to take the lead 13-12. A Viking service error tied the set at 13, and the Cardinals utilized it to propel themselves to a 5-1 run to reclaim the lead 17-14.

A few rallies later, the Cardinals extended their advantage to 20-16 after an attack error by North Park. The Vikings hit .096 in the match, finishing the night with 29 kills and 20 errors on the night, seven of which came on blocks by the Cardinal's front row.

A heavy swing from Chris Mactal off a feed from Angelo Delgado extended the lead again to 23-18, and a block by Mactal and Almarales on the ensuing point brought the Cardinals to set point. A pair of Cardinal errors later, North Central put the set away with a kill by Almarales, accompanied by a rare McEachern assist.

North Central spotted North Park a 6-0 lead to start the third set, but the "Comeback Cards" found yet another way to claw back from a lofty deficit. The comeback started with a small 3-1 run to get North Central to within 7-3, but the Vikings fought right back, extending their advantage to seven at 11-4.

Hester, Almarales and Elijah Landeros all contributed a kill in an ensuing 8-3 run to bring the Cardinals to within one (15-14). North Central eventually caught up with the Vikings at 19 apiece. The Cardinals took control from there, taking their first lead of the set on the ensuing point after a Viking attack error, and securing the win a handful of rallies later, with a powerful Mactal finish from the middle of the floor after a perfect feed from Delgado, winning the set 25-23.

Jonathan Brown was solid once again in the back row, accruing nine digs in the three-set contest while dishing out a pair of assists. Delgado, starting in his sixth consecutive match, led the team in assists with 28. North Central hit .244 in the contest while blocking seven Viking attacks.

The Cardinals will enjoy a light week over the institution's scheduled Spring Break, not taking the court again until March 14 at home against Augustana at 3 p.m. in a CCIW contest.