DUBUQUE, Iowa-- Rams Volleyball was competitive in both matches of a triangular at The University of Dubuque on Friday but came up on the short end in both contests. The host Spartans handed the Rams a 3-1 loss in the opener before Blackburn College rallied to knockoff NCU 3-2.

In the evening opener the Rams battled The University of Dubuque (Dubuque, Iowa) to a tight 25-21 loss in the opener and fell 25-11 in the second frame before recovering. They took the the third set 25-23 but the recovery was not enough as the Spartans finished the match with another 25-11 final in the fourth.

North Central's offense proved inconsistant in the match hitting around .200 in the competitive first and third sets but struggled with negative attack percentages in the problematic second and third frames. Sophomore Katie Strand (Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo) led the Rams attack with 11 kills while junior Karlee Huber (Rapid City, S.D./Dakota Wesleyan) equaled a team high 13 digs with 6 kills. Junior Elissa Pheneger (Roseville, Minn./Concordia) posted a match high 30 assists with 6 digs. Sophomore Ashley Kelzer (Mayer, Minn./Watertown-Mayer) put down eight kills while sophomore Anna Larson (Lakeville, Minn./Christian Life) recorded 13 digs.

For the second game in the evening's triangular, North Central took on Blackburn College (Carlinville, Ill.). The match was a back and forth battle with Blackburn taking the first set 25-20 but the Rams taking the second and third frames by 25-22 and 25-20 scores.

However the Beavers responded by forcing a fifth set by taking the fourth 25-21. Unfortunately for North Central, the momentum of the fourth set win poured over into the fifth frame for the Beavers who jumped out to a 6-1 advantage. North Central would get within 6-3 but by the time the teams switched sides Blackburn had regained control with a 10-3 lead before finishing off the match with a 15-10 final.

Karlee Huber played a strong match with 14 kills and 33 digs. Anna Larson was a solid defensive performer with 44 digs in the five frame affair. Ashley Kelzer and Katie Strand were in double figures with 12 and 11 kills respectively.

Elissa Pheneger recorded a big piece of North Central Volleyball history during the match against Blackburn. With her 41 assists she became just the second player in Rams history to reach 2000 career helpers. She also added 22 digs on the night. She is working toward becoming the first NCU player in history with 2000 assists and 1000 digs.

Pheneger and the Rams will return home for a Tuesday night match in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference action. NCU will host Northland College (Ashland, Wis.) for a 7 p.m. match up.