CHICAGO, Ill. North Park opened College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) play with a five-set battle against Augustana on Friday night, falling 25-16, 22-25, 22-25, 25-21, 15-8 inside Carlson Gymnasium.
The Vikings received 11 kills from junior outside hitter Maya Huelsman, while senior outside hitter Rian Hobbs added 10. Senior setter Kendal Britton distributed 39 assists and collected 19 digs, and junior libero Xenia Gonzales led North Park with 21 digs. North Park totaled 47 kills, eight service aces and seven blocks.
Augustana established control midway through the opening set. After North Park pulled even at 5-5 on an ace by Gonzales, the visitors used an extended run behind the serving of Grace Lichthardt to create a 17-7 advantage. The Vikings later received kills from Hobbs and senior opposite Mercy Osayemi, but Augustana closed the set at 25-16.
North Park responded quickly in the second, building an 8-3 lead behind a Hobbs ace, a kill from Britton and multiple Augustana attacking errors. Freshman middle blocker Reese Lackage and Osayemi helped extend the margin to 15-7 before Augustana mounted a late comeback. The visitors trimmed the deficit to 23-22, but an Augustana attack error and a Hobbs kill off a Britton assist secured the 25-22 Viking win.
The Vikings carried that momentum into the third set. North Park opened a 9-3 advantage as Osayemi and Lackage provided kills, while Gonzales, sophomore libero/defensive specialist Tessa Wabiszewski and junior defensive specialist/libero Carmella Rio each delivered an ace during the early surge. Augustana erased a 19-15 deficit to tie the set, but North Park answered with a kill from junior middle blocker Ivy Newville and consecutive Augustana errors. Hobbs then produced a late kill before another Augustana miscue finished the 25-22 set and gave the Vikings a 2-1 lead.
Augustana rebounded with an early 14-7 advantage in the fourth, aided by strong serving and front-row pressure. North Park answered with an 8-1 run that featured kills from Hobbs, Lackage, Huelsman and senior right-side hitter Grace Morrow, drawing even at 15-15. The teams remained tied at 21 before Augustana used back-to-back blocks and a closing kill from Alita Folkening to force a deciding fifth set with a 25-21 win.
The fifth remained tight early, with Huelsman and Morrow supplying kills as North Park pulled even at 5-5 and later 7-7. Augustana broke the tie with kills from Carmela Carbone and Folkening, along with an ace by Abby Kirchner, to move ahead 10-7. Huelsman briefly interrupted the run, but Lichthardt and the Augustana defense accounted for the final four points in a 15-8 decision.
Augustana totaled 45 kills, 10 aces and 12 blocks while improving to 5-7 overall and 1-0 in the CCIW. North Park moved to 5-7 and 0-1 in conference play.
North Park Top Performers
- Maya Huelsman: 11 kills, .194 hitting percentage and three digs
- Kendal Britton: 39 assists, 19 digs, two kills, one ace and two block assists
- Xenia Gonzales: Match and career-high 21 digs, four assists and two aces
Augustana Top Performers
- Grace Lichthardt: Match-high 13 kills, six digs and two aces
- Sophia Sommesi: Nine kills, match-high 23 digs, one ace and four total blocks
- Carmela Carbone: Nine kills on .231 hitting with six block assists
What's Next?
North Park (5-7, 0-1 CCIW) has the weekend off before returning to play next Friday, October 2, where they'll host Elmhurst University (8-5, 0-0 CCIW). Tipoff in Carlson is set for 7:00 PM CT.
