ROCKFORD Ill. – The North Central University (NCU) women's volleyball team headed back on the road after a restful and practice-filled week, all in preparation for a busy weekend ahead. A part of a four-match tournament this weekend hosted by Rockford University, the Rams took their talents under the lights of the Seaver Center for a doubleheader against the Moody Bible College Archers and Rockford University Regents. After a sensational start to the Rams' weekend, the Rams faced two hard-fought battles on the night. The first one saw the Rams knocking off the Archers in a 3 sets to 1 victory. Directly after the win, the Rams faced a quick turnaround, where they took on the hosts of the tournament the Rockford University Regents, but fell narrowly 3 sets to 1.

Game 1 Recap

Leadership in key moments down the stretch of the match was the Rams' kryptonite in this marquee matchup. As the Blue and Gold faced the Moody Bible College Archers, the score of the sets tell the story in this one (25-22, 20-25, 27-25, and 27-25). With 2 of the 4 sets moving into extra points, the Rams managed to not let the Archers steal away those hard-fought sets. They fired on all cylinders in those key moments at the end of sets 4 and 5, which guided them to the victory. The upperclassmen leadership guided this Rams volleyball squad to staying collected in those moments, which carried the Rams to taking those critical sets as their own.

Key Performers:

• Graduate-senior captain Rachel Beckman highlighted the match with 26 assists on the night. She was a foundation to the offensive force that seemed to have no problem finding success.
• Alannah Esther, the freshman setter, also managed to find success setting the ball as she recorded 19 assists of her own.

Game 2 Recap

With hopes of momentum carrying over from the previous win in the night, the Rams looked to keep their winning going against the hosts of the tournament, the Rockford University Regents. The Rams strived to knock the Regents off their home floor, but ran into an impressive Regents squad that seemed to have a slight edge over the Rams to take away the late-match sets. With the story of the night including sets pushing to additional points, the Rams were unable to capitalize in the late-set scenarios. The Rams ended up dropping the match to the Regents 3 sets to 1, but in tremendously hard-fighting fashion. Highlighted in the match was the second set, where the Rams pushed fought to a total of 62 points combined, and ended up stealing the set 32-30. Even with the loss, the Rams managed to lead over the Regents in a number of team-statistical categories that included total points, kills, service aces, and blocks. The heart-felt match exemplifies that this Rams volleyball squad will continue to battle for each and every set they play in.

Key Performers:

• Hallie Fuglestad did not shy away from the Regent hitters in this matchup. She recorded a monstrous 36 digs, and was fundamental in the backcourt for the Rams' defensive presence.
•  Jaselyn Anderson and Emily DiGiorgio each chipped in a timely 5 blocks. Their net presence helped stabilize the Regent hitters as well and keep the service on the Rams' side of the net.

Looking Ahead

The Rams volleyball squad is off to an enthusiastic start in the Rockford Invitational, as a small snapshot of their 2019 campaign thus far. They now move on to a very respectable 5-4 start, and continue to push the threshold of continuing their +.500 record. The start to the weekend is only a snippet of what the Rams have managed to do this year and will strive to build off of their momentum. With two competitive and close matches tonight, the Rams will look to rest as much as possible before their quick turnaround in the morning. The Blue and Gold are set to take on a very impressive Lawrence University Vikings team at 10 a.m., and the Maranatha Baptist University Sabercats directly following at noon. Game previews for tomorrow's matches can be found on ncurams.com to get a look ahead into the next day of matches.