WHEATON, Ill. -- In a match that had a bit of everything, the Wheaton Thunder rallied behind a dominant fifth set to edge North Park Women's Volleyball 3-2 (15–25, 26–24, 19–25, 25–20, 15–9) Friday night at King Arena. The win lifts Wheaton to 19-7 overall and 2-2 in CCIW play, while North Park drops to 16-8 and 2-3 in conference.
North Park came out firing in the opening set, jumping to a 10-1 lead behind a serving run from junior setter Kendal Britton and a pair of kills from senior outside hitter Annaliese Rottman, whose presence in her return to the lineup was felt. The Vikings capitalized on six Wheaton attack errors and cruised to a 25-15 win.
The second set was a back-and-forth battle with four ties and three lead changes. North Park led 24-23 before Wheaton closed with three-straight points, including a kill from Jordan Benford and an NPU attack error, to steal the frame 26-24.
North Park responded in the third with another strong start, building a 21-13 lead thanks to a trio of kills from senior outside hitter Shamyia Collier and a block from Rottman. Wheaton clawed back to 23-19, but a kill by junior middle blocker Meg Rothermel and an error by Wheaton sealed the 25-19 set win for the Vikings.
Wheaton flipped the script in the fourth, racing to a 5-0 lead behind Lacey Higgins' serving and Benford's consistency in the middle of the court. North Park never led in the set, and Wheaton closed it out 25-20 with a kill from Higgins and a block from Sydney Overweg.
In the decisive fifth, Wheaton again jumped ahead 6-0. North Park managed to cut the deficit to 11-9 after a kill by Collier, but Wheaton slammed the door with four-straight points, capped by a service ace from Higgins and a kill from Major.
Top Performers
Wheaton's Top 4
- Jordan Benford – 18 kills, 14 digs, 3 blocks, .304 hitting %
- Sydney Overweg – 9 kills, 4 blocks, .333 hitting %
- Lacey Higgins – 36 assists, 2 aces, 5 digs
- Grace Autry – 15 digs, 2 aces
North Park's Top 4
What's Next?
North Park moves right out of CCIW play on Saturday, October 18, for a pair of matches with Denison and U-Chicago. First serve in the doubleheader at U-Chicago's Ratner Athletics Center is set for 1:30 PM CT/
