Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324
AURORA, Ill. (Sept. 8, 2026) - Dropping a nonconference match to Aurora University, the North Central College women's volleyball team fell in straight sets to the Spartans on Tuesday night inside Thornton Gymnasium.
Two kills from Abby Buban gave the Cardinals an early 3-2 edge before the Spartans rattled off four straight points to take a 6-3 lead. North Central responded with a four-point swing of its own to go up by one, 7-6. Aurora used a 10-1 run to take a 16-8 advantage before securing a 25-15 victory in set one.
Buban and Alyssa Wolf posted kills in the second set as the Cardinals climbed back within one, 7-6. After back-and-forth action, Giada Schrementi evened the contest at 13-13, capping off a 4-0 run for North Central. A block from Wolf and Schrementi kept the Cardinals within a point. The Spartans did their best to pull away, but kills from Lauren Benson, Sonia Proksa and Buban pulled North Central within one, 21-20. Following an attacking error from Aurora, Buban and Schrementi teamed up for a block to give the Cardinals their first lead of the set, 23-22. Buban's kill tied the contest at 24-24 before the Spartans won the final two points to earn a 26-24 win in set two.
Kills from Buban and Benson put the Cardinals on top, 4-2, early in the third set. The teams traded points as Proksa knotted the contest at 8-8. After a Buban kill, Aurora put together an 8-1 rally to take a 19-11 lead. North Central could not recover, falling 25-15 in the final set.
Buban led all players with 16 kills on the night. Wolf posted eight kills, with Benson adding four. Sarah Harvey tallied 26 assists, with Demi Carpio (11), Katie Godo (10) and Nora Miller (10) recording double-digit digs. Schrementi finished with two blocks in the contest. The Spartans hit .246 compared to the Cardinals' .074.
North Central earns a well-needed break following six matches in nine days. They return to the court on Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Loras Invitational, where the Cardinals face Edgewood College and Macalester College.
