CHICAGO, Ill. – The North Park University women's volleyball team concludes its 2019 season with a 3-2 win over the Carroll University Pioneers on Saturday evening.
The Vikings got off to a good start in the first set, maintaining a 7-2 lead on a service ace and kill by senior Niki Ahlstrand and a handful of Carroll attacking errors. In the set, Carroll would show spurts of momentum, but North Park held the lead all the way through, earning a 25-19 opening set win.
Carroll struck back in the second and third sets, unleashing a .571 hitting percentage with 14 kills to even the match with a 25-13 victory in set two and a 25-20 win in set three.
However, the Vikings would fight back in a pivotal fourth set, marking their most consistent set of the night with a .333 hitting percentage and 14 kills to force a fifth set.
In a dramatic fifth set, North Park powered ahead to a 4-1 lead on two attacking errors from the Pioneers, an ace from senior Reagan Clement, and a service ace from freshman Christina Gatta. With their season on the line, the Pioneers pushed back with a pair of kills and got some help from a few Viking errors to pull within one at 8-7, North Park.
However, ending their season on a high note, the Vikings only allowed three points the rest of the set to earn a 15-10 win over the Pioneers on senior night. Gatta ended the season with an exclamation point – firing her record-setting 77th service ace for the 15th point of the fifth set.
Quick Hits:
- Ahlstrand led the match with a season-high 16 kills
- Freshman Kailyn Matthews followed with 14
- Gatta tacked on four more aces, bringing her total to 77 on the season
- Meyer tallied 39 assists
- North Park's 10 aces marked the most they've had in league action
What's Next?
North Park concludes the 2019 season with a 12-17 overall record and 2-6 league record. Tonight, the Vikings honored four seniors for their dedication to North Park. Thank you to Niki Ahlstrand, Reagan Clement, Bethany Geidner, and Kajsa Meyer for your four-year commitments to North Park University!