KENOSHA, Wis. – The North Park men's volleyball team had some big moments against the nation's third-ranked team, Carthage College, on Wednesday night. However, the Firebirds pulled away with a straight sets win.
Throughout all three sets, the Vikings put the Firebirds on their heels multiple times. The biggest example of this was shown in the opening set when North Park was a point away from victory, leading 24-23. However, the Firebirds, who have dropped just two sets in their last 10 matches, sent in consecutive aces by Matt Silvinski to salvage the first set, 26-24.
The second set of the night was also tightly contested as six lead changes occurred throughout the set. Carthage took a slight 21-18 lead late in the set before a Carthage attacking error and kill by Quinn Robinson brought the Vikings within one point, 21-20. Yet the Firebirds eluded the Vikings once more, taking four of the next five points.
Hoping the Vikings would accept their fate in the eventual final set of the night, Carthage showcased their biggest lead of the match, 17-11. North Park would not go down that easy, though. Kills by Erik Bullard and Emmanuel Eugene, as well as some service and attacking errors for Carthage led to a 7-3 run for North Park. Once more, Carthage navigated away from trouble to complete the three-set victory, 25-21.
Quick Hits:
- 12 kills for Eugene (.500 hitting %), good for second-best out of all attackers
- Teddy Gedville leads Vikings with three aces and a block
- Noah Salazar attacks a .667 clip, four kills in six attacks
- Carthage's Matt Slivinski drives an impressive eight aces
- Vikings own the best team attacking percentage of the night - .526 in set 3
The Vikings end their season with a record of 15-13 and 6-6 in CCIW play – their best showing to date. North Park's three All-CCIW picks (Erik Bullard, Emmanuel Eugene, Quinn Robinson) represent the first time the Vikings have received multiple all-conference picks in the same season. NPU Athletics would like to give a special "thank you" to senior Erik Bullard for his impact on the men's volleyball program and his dedication and commitment to North Park University.
