DECATUR, Ill. -- The North Park women's volleyball team battled back to force a fifth set Wednesday night, but host Millikin held on for a 19-25, 25-18, 25-12, 20-25, 15-9 victory in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin action at Griswold P.E. Center.
North Park (9-18, 0-8 CCIW) was led by senior opposite hitter Mercy Osayemi's 10 kills, while senior outside hitter Rian Hobbs added nine kills and senior middle blocker Meg Rothermel recorded eight kills and five block assists. Senior setter Kendal Britton finished with 35 assists and 11 digs, and junior libero Xenia Gonzales collected 16 digs.
The Vikings broke a 15-15 tie in the opening set with an 8-3 run, fueled by consecutive service aces from Gonzales and key kills from Osayemi and sophomore outside hitter Kayna Kanemoto, to earn a 25-19 win.
North Park carried that momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 13-7 advantage behind a strong serving stretch from freshman libero/defensive specialist Remy Hoyt. Millikin responded with an 18-5 run to even the match before controlling the third set to take a 2-1 lead.
Facing elimination, the Vikings answered in the fourth. Tied 15-15, North Park used a 5-2 burst behind a Britton ace and kills from Hobbs, junior middle blocker Ivy Newville, and Osayemi. Rothermel and Kanemoto then combined on a block to seal a 25-20 set victory.
Millikin built an early 6-1 advantage in the deciding fifth set and kept the Vikings at bay despite a North Park rally that cut the deficit to 13-9. Elle Richards finished with 15 kills to lead the Big Blue, while Nikkel Johnson added nine kills on a .692 hitting percentage and Alyssa Frederking dished out 28 assists.
One More Match
North Park rounds out its 2026 season at No. 16 Dubuque on Friday, November 6.
