WAUKESHA, Wis. -- North Park women's volleyball mounted a late comeback in the third set but fell to Carroll in straight sets, 25-18, 25-12, 25-23, on Friday night at Van Male Fieldhouse.
Carroll established an early advantage in the opening set, taking a 16-9 lead behind a balanced attack. North Park answered with kills from senior outside hitter Rian Hobbs, junior middle blocker Ivy Newville and junior outside hitter Maya Huelsman to pull within 21-18. The Pioneers responded with the final four points, closing the set on consecutive blocks and a service ace from Lexi Proctor.
The Pioneers carried that momentum into the second set. After kills by senior right-side hitter Grace Morrow and Hobbs brought North Park within 3-2, Carroll used a 7-1 run to create separation. Junior defensive specialist Xenia Gonzales delivered an ace, while senior middle blocker Meg Rothermel and Huelsman supplied kills for the Vikings, but Carroll finished the frame with a convincing 25-12 win.
North Park produced its strongest offensive performance in the third set, hitting .175 with 11 kills. The teams played to a 6-6 tie before Carroll pushed ahead 19-12 behind Talia Johnson and Audrey Rosenbaum. Facing match point at 24-17, the Vikings rattled off six consecutive points. Rothermel recorded four kills during the run, senior setter Kendal Britton added a kill and Huelsman pulled North Park within 24-23. Rosenbaum halted the comeback with the match-clinching kill.
Rothermel led North Park with 10 kills on a .438 hitting percentage while adding four total blocks. Huelsman followed with six kills, and Britton totaled 22 assists, eight digs and three block assists. Gonzales paced the defense with 17 digs.
Johnson led Carroll with 11 kills and a .444 hitting percentage. Rosenbaum added 10 kills and 13 digs, while Samantha Miserendino collected a team-high 16 digs. The Pioneers hit .208 and finished with eight service aces and eight total blocks.
What's Next?
North Park moves to 8-16 overall and 0-6 in CCIW play, while Carroll improves to 15-10 and 4-1 in the conference.
