KENOSHA, Wis. – In 2019, the North Park women's volleyball team finished the season with a 12-17 record, winning only two games in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) action. Only three years later on Saturday, November 5, Coach Michael Sopocy led the Vikings to the program's first-ever CCIW Tournament Championship. North Park took down top-seeded tourney host Carthage College 3-1 (25-23, 25-27, 21-25, 25-23) to earn an automatic bid to the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
The opening set of the championship evening stayed within one point all the way to a 14-13 Carthage lead, before the Firebirds extended the gap to 17-13 after an ace, kill, and NPU attack error. However, three-straight kills by Kailyn Matthews and an Adriana Rodriguez service ace put the Vikings ahead, 18-17. Carthage would tie the score up one more time at 21-21 but kills by Debbie Dinkel and Rodriguez secured a 25-23 victory.
Christina Gatta led the Vikings to a 6-1 second-set start, cashing in a pair of service aces while Rodriguez and Matthews added kills. The Vikings maintained a lead until Carthage chipped away with kills by Katie Boston and Kaitie Rohe to pull ahead, 18-16. North Park forced extra play, negating set point twice, as Rodriguez drove a pair of aces to snatch set two, 27-25.
Carthage came alive in the third set, driving 14 kills while maintaining a .297 hitting percentage to avoid a sweep, but the Vikings were just one set away from touching championship gold.
In another set that featured five lead changes in a back-and-forth affair, the Vikings needed to come back from a 21-23 deficit to avoid a fifth set. Not blinded by the bright lights on the biggest stage of her career, Rodriguez sent in three kills to lead the Vikings to the program's first CCIW Tournament championship.
Coach Sopocy reported back in August: "I don't make predictions, I make spoilers! I assure you we will be on top when the season is over". Fast forward two months and the Vikings earned the opportunity to compete on the national stage.
"I'm incredibly proud of the girls' perseverance; when things got tough they kept fighting," said Coach Sopocy. "This has been 13 years of hard work. Many said it was impossible and could not be done. That doubt is gone tonight! On to the NCAA tourney."
Quick Hits:
- Nine aces for the Vikings – three each for Rodriguez and Jenna Jones, two for Gatta
- Rodriguez leads all attackers with 21 kills, Matthews follows with 14
- Three blocks for Gatta and Raghen Walker
- Gatta assists on 38 kills while Carolina Aviles digs out 25 attacks
- Vikings advance to the 2022 NCAA Tournament for the first time ever
What's Next?
North Park (23-8) awaits the "when and where" for the NCAA Tournament. The selection show will take place Monday, November 7, at noon CST. Tune in here to see where the Vikings open up tournament action.
