MINNEAPOLIS – In a span of 24 hours over the weekend, North Central volleyball played three matches in two different states but saw the same outcome in each: straight-sets losses on the road to the University of Northwestern, Ripon College and Grinnell College. The Rams typically strong defense was unable to hold their opponents' attack at bay, and North Central's offense faced its own struggles as NCU lost each set by an average 11-point margin.

In Friday's match-up against Upper Midwest Athletic Conference opponent Northwestern (13-2, 1-0), the Rams fought against the Eagles' block but couldn't produce enough to overcome UNW's .341 attack percentage. North Central (7-7, 1-1) hit -.053 in the match and recorded just two blocks to Northwestern's 11. The third frame was the tightest, with NCU trailing by just three at 7-10 before UNW went on a 9-1 run to help close out the match 0-3 (11-25, 8-25, 13-25). Junior Katie Strand (Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo) led the Rams with six kills and two block assists. Freshman Emma Middendorf (Glenwood, Minn./Minnewaska Area) chipped in four kills and recorded North Central's highest attack percentage at .273.

On Saturday, NCU traveled to Grinnell, Iowa for a triangular match with Grinnell and Ripon College. In the first match against Ripon (11-6), the North Central's offensive woes continued as the team recorded an .036 attack percentage. The Red Hawks and Rams battled well defensively, and NCU (7-8) even appeared ready to take the second set with a late 23-19 lead, but Ripon capitalized on two NCU attack errors and then scored three straight kills to pull out a 26-24 win. That late momentum shift proved too much to overcome, and North Central was unable to rebound in the third set, dropping the match 0-3 (14-25, 24-26, 17-25). Middendorf led the Rams with six kills, while fellow freshman Bethany Wollman (Freeman, S.D./Freeman Academy) added another five.

In the second match of the day against host Grinnell (7-8), North Central fought to slow down the Pioneers' hitters but couldn't find a solution, allowing six different players to score five or more kills. Grinnell hit .396 on the match, including a scorching .562 with 19 kills in the second set. NCU (7-9) matched the Pioneers defensively, but hit just .057 overall and struggled with 12 reception errors, leading to an 0-3 match loss (11-25, 17-25, 12-25). Strand recorded 8 kills on .316 hitting with one service ace to lead the Rams. Sophomore libero Maddie Stocker (Woodbury, Minn./Grace University) tallied a match-high 13 digs.

North Central (7-10, 1-2) will resume conference play on Wednesday night when the team travels to New Ulm, Minn. to take on Martin Luther College (8-12, 3-0). The UMAC match-up begins at 7:00. Saturday sees the Rams take on St. Olaf College (7-11) in Northfield, Minn. in a non-conference contest, with first serve slated for 3:00 p.m.