GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The North Park University women's volleyball team earned a split in Saturday's Calvin Invite, falling to the host Knights before rallying for a five-set victory over Alma College.
North Park opened the day against No. 14 Calvin, dropping a 25-14, 25-13, 25-17 decision. The Vikings were led by senior setter Kendal Britton, who tallied 15 assists and 12 digs, while junior libero Xenia Gonzales added nine digs. Senior opposite hitter Mercy Osayemi, senior right-side hitter Grace Morrow, junior outside hitter Maya Huelsman, junior middle blocker Ivy Newville, and sophomore middle blocker/opposite Kayna Kanemoto each recorded three kills.
Calvin controlled the match, hitting .207 as a team behind eight kills from Kate Van Appledorn and eight more from Sarah Bradley. The Top-25 squad also blocked the Vikings 11 times, including 7 from Mary Boa. North Park stayed within 8-7 midway through the opening set before the Knights used an extended run to pull away. The Vikings were unable to recover in the second and third sets as Calvin finished with a 34-19 advantage in kills and 10 service aces.
The Vikings responded in their second match of the day with a thrilling 25-21, 27-25, 16-25, 22-25, 15-9 victory over Alma.
North Park claimed the first two sets, including a tightly contested second frame that featured 21 ties. Freshman outside hitter Jada Clark helped spark the offense early, while senior opposite hitter Mercy Osayemi and junior middle blocker Ivy Newville provided steady production at the net.
Alma answered by taking the third and fourth sets behind strong performances from Nevea Bush and Maggie McKale, forcing a decisive fifth set. The Scots grabbed the opening three points of the tiebreaker, but North Park surged ahead with a 7-0 run sparked by sophomore defensive specialist Tessa Wabiszewski's serving. The Vikings never relinquished control and closed out the match on an Osayemi kill.
Osayemi finished with 13 kills, while Clark added 13 kills of her own. Newville contributed 12 kills and three block assists, and freshman opposite hitter Gia Sylvestre chipped in 10 kills. Britton directed the offense with 52 assists while adding five kills and 11 digs.
Defensively, junior libero Xenia Gonzales recorded another career-high 29 digs. Wabiszewski totaled 15 digs and five service aces, while junior defensive specialist Carmella Rio added 18 digs and three aces.
Alma was paced by Bush's 18 kills and McKale's 15 kills.
What's Next?
North Park (8-10, 0-2 CCIW) heads to nationally No.2-ranked Illinois Wesleyan (16-1, 5-0 CCIW) on Wednesday, October 14. First serve at the Shirk Center is set for 6:00 pm CT.
