CHICAGO, Ill. -- Riding high on an eight-match win streak, North Park Women's Volleyball eyes their return to College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) action on Friday night.
The Vikings (14-2, 1-0 CCIW) are back in the national conversation, receiving six votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Top 25 poll on Tuesday afternoon.
North Park boasts one of the top-rated offenses in Division III Volleyball, earning national ranks of 8th in Assists (657), 8th in Service Aces (153), and 11th in Kills (711). The team's Hitting Percentage of .220 also ranks 49th.
Senior libero Carolina Aviles (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) and junior setter Kendal Britton (Grand Rapids, Mich.) enjoy national top 5 rankings in some major categories for the Blue & Gold. Britton's 554 Assists are the second-best mark in Division III while 41 Service Aces struck by Aviles are good for fourth. Additionally, 259 Digs for Aviles ranks 23rd in the country.
Senior outside hitter Annaliese Rottman (Okemos, Mich.) leads the Vikings with 143 Kills while fifth-year opposite hitter Kharlie Simeona-French (Papakolea, Hawaii) is right behind Rottman with 130. Simeona-French is top 3 in every major category for the Vikings, leading NPU with 165.5 Points: second in Digs (151), third in Blocks (15), third in Aces (27), and third in Assists (15).
Senior outside hitter Shamyia Collier (Orlando, Fla.) has provided major firepower for the Vikings in their past four matches - she's totaled double-digit Kill totals in her four recent matches and hit a season-high .525 in a sweep of Cornell on Saturday.
Defensively, junior middle blocker Meg Rothermel (Cary, Ill.)and senior middle blocker Riana Hayes (Wheeling, Ill.) have shined as a one-two punch up front for Coach Michael Sopocy. Rothermel is the top blocker with 44 on the season, currently leading the CCIW, while Hayes is credited with 31, including a team-leading 15 solos.
North Park's Friday night opponent is Carroll University, a team with one of the better Strength of Schedules in the conference.
The Pioneers (7-6, 0-2 CCIW) were recently swept out of Van Male Fieldhouse by Millikin University (6-5, 1-0 CCIW) on Wednesday night. Before that, this past Saturday, the Pioneers enjoyed wins over a pair of strong Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in UW-River Falls and UW-Stevens Point.
Sophomore outside hitter Bronwyn Rowse leads the Pios' offense, leading the team with 184.5 Points, 170 Kills, and a .196 Hitting Percentage. Also tallying triple-digit Kill totals are sophomore outside hitter Audrey Rosenbaum (132) and sophomore outside hitter Carly Hicklin (100).
On defense, senior defensive specialist Maggie McGough totals 189 Digs while freshman middle blocker Brooklynn Johnson and junior middle blocker Kylie Wittnebel have 31 and 28 Blocks, respectively.
The two teams will face off tomorrow, September 26, inside Carlson Gym at 7:00 PM CT.
