CHICAGO, Ill. -- The North Park women's volleyball team won their second College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament Championship in two years by besting the No. 3 seeded Carthage Firebirds with a 3-1 (25-20, 20-25, 25-19, 25-15) victory. Not a single opponent was able to overcome the Vikings in their double-championship run. This win solidified the Vikings' spectacular season with an overall record of 25-6 and now looks to the where and who this coming Monday for the NCAA Selection Show.
The Vikings took care of Carthage easily in the first set winning 25-20. North Park posted a .362 hitting percentage and held the Firebirds to a modest .233. The Vikings also had 21 kills compared to Carthage's 12. In the pace-setter, the Vikings pulled ahead early on kills by Rhianna Huebner and Kharlie Simeona-French before the Firebirds would knot things up at a dozen each. However, North Park got back on track as Meg Rothermel, Simeona-French, and Adriana Rodriguez drove batches of kills to put NPU up, 19-16, and never surrendered the lead after that.
The second set of the night was a much different story. Carthage took an early lead and was able to hold on the entire set. The Firebirds posted a .239 hitting percentage, whereas the Vikings were held to a .125 hitting percentage. Carthage utilized three blocks in the set, including three blocking assists from the Firebirds' Katie Boston.
The third set opened up as a back-and-forth slugfest with Carthage taking a 8-4 lead. The Vikings answered off the back of a six-point service run from senior setter Jenna Jones. Carthage took the lead again, following a few Viking errors, but North Park utilized three blocks, including a big-time solo from Shamyia Collier, to capture the third set, 25-19,
The final set of the night was won off the back of six Vikings aces. Among this list were Christina Gatta and Adriana Rodriguez with two aces each. Meg Rothermel and Teiya Alagar rounded it off with one apiece. As a matter of fact, the last point of the match went Alagar, Gatta, Rodriguez, as the court's skyline filled with Vikings, representing the program's first-ever CCIW full sweep; North Park became double champions in 2023.
Quick Hits:
- Three Vikings with double-digit kill totals: Rodriguez (18), Simeona-French (14), and Collier (12)
- Simeona-French's 14 represents a new career high
- 38 kills for Gatta and a pair of aces
- Carthage's Kaitie Rohe with 18 kills, Kristina Manojlovic with 12
- 24 digs for Aviles, who added a pair of aces
- First time North Park has earned both a CCIW title and tournament championship in the same season
What's Next?
North Park (25-6) awaits their destination for the 2023 NCAA Tournament. More information including locations of the regional sites, opponent, and the entire Division III playoff field will be announced during the selection show on Monday, Nov. 13, at noon CT.
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