CHICAGO, Ill. – The North Park women's volleyball team came oh-so-close to a victory over the Titans of Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday night, but IWU saved themselves on their last breath and won the match 3-2 (25-21, 24-26, 13-25, 27-25, 15-4).
The two squads were even midway through the first set when Rhianna Huebner's kill made it 17-all. The visitors then went on a four-point run to get in the driver's seat where they would end up winning the set 25-21. All hope again looked lost in the second set for the Vikings, falling behind 24-22 and looking like they were gonna fall down 2-0. A kill from Taylor Guy sparked a run for NPU, though, that was followed by two Huebner kills, then a rare kill from setter Christina Gatta that made it set point for North Park. The Titans would scuff the ensuing attack, giving a 26-24 set two win for the Vikings.
NPU offense came out firing in the third set. After Adriana Rodriguez grabbed a kill to go up 1-0, Gatta served for seven straight Viking points (two of which were her aces), to go up 8-0. Freshman Shamyia Collier capitalized the run with the final two kills. North Park retained control the entire set, and eventually, Collier won the set 25-13 with another kill to her name.
Set four had IWU in control most of the way, getting up 24-19 and needing just one point to force a final set. The Vikings fought off set point for four straight serves, eventually taking a 25-24 lead and giving themselves a crack at match point after a solo block from Taylor guy. The Titans would go on to win the final three points, however, to take the set 27-25. Wesleyan continued that run into the fifth, hitting .667 in the final frame to win the set 15-4, and the match 3-2.
Quick Hits:
- Pence and Collier both with 10 kills.
- An unbelievable eight blocks from Guy, alongside 12 kills.
- Rodriguez had 11 kills and 13 digs.
- Gatta with a staggering day across the board, 43 aces, 16 digs, three aces, two kills, and two block assists.
What's Next?
The Vikings (11-4, 0-3 CCIW) host a tri-match with No. 11 UW-Eau Claire (14-2, 2-0 WIAC) and Greenville (9-2, 3-0 SLIAC) on Saturday, October 2nd. The first match against Eau Claire will start at 2 PM at NPU Gymnasium.