Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324
WAUKESHA, Wis. (Sept. 30, 2026) - Playing a conference opponent on the road for the first time this season, the North Central College women's volleyball team fell to Carroll University in four sets Wednesday evening, 25-16, 25-19, 24-26, 25-20, inside Van Male Fieldhouse.
Lauren Benson recorded an early block to put the Cardinals on the board in the opening set before back-to-back kills from Abby Buban gave North Central a 7-4 advantage. Carroll responded by evening the score at 10-10. Ava Hoff answered with two kills, including one set up by Sarah Harvey, to restore a 12-10 Cardinal lead. The Pioneers closed the set on a 15-4 run to secure a 25-16 victory.
Buban opened the second set with three early kills, helping North Central take a 6-5 lead. The teams exchanged points before Carroll built a four-point cushion, forcing a Cardinal timeout. Harvey notched her first kill of the match to keep North Central within striking distance at 14-11, but the Pioneers followed with four straight points to extend their lead. Jordan Surber added two kills down the stretch, though Carroll held on for a 25-19 set win.
North Central came out strong in the third set, using a Harvey service ace to highlight a 5-0 start. Carroll erased the deficit and tied the score at 8-8 before taking control of the momentum. Harvey and Benson combined for a key block to keep the Cardinals within one point at 13-12, and a kill from Giada Schrementi later evened the score at 15-15. After the Pioneers rattled off four consecutive points, North Central stayed alive behind kills from Benson and Harvey. Hoff and Benson combined to tie the set at 24-24 before Harvey assisted on Benson's set-clinching kill, giving the Cardinals a 26-24 victory. North Central closed the frame by scoring five of the final six points.
A Hoff kill ignited a 5-1 Cardinal run early in the fourth set as North Central built a 7-3 lead. Consecutive kills from Buban helped maintain the advantage at 9-6 before Carroll used a four-point swing to move ahead, 14-13. Benson responded with a kill and a block to stop the Pioneer surge and keep the Cardinals within two points. Carroll finished strong, scoring the final three points of the match to claim the set, 25-20, and the match victory.
Hoff led North Central offensively with 13 kills, while Buban added 11. Demi Carpio paced all players with 16 digs, followed closely by Harvey with 15. The Cardinals recorded a .142 hitting percentage compared to Carroll's .200 mark.
North Central continues conference play on the road Friday, traveling to Carthage College for a 7 p.m. first serve inside Tarble Arena. The Cardinals earned a 3-1 victory over the Firebirds inside Gregory Arena last season.
