Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ROCKFORD Ill. – The North Central University (NCU) women's volleyball team returned to play on Saturday morning, where they wrapped up another heavy weekend of matchups a part of the Rockford Invitational. With another doubleheader on-hand for the day, the Rams battled through two tough matchups that included facing off against the Lawrence University Vikings, and Maranatha Baptist University Sabercats. The Rams first took on the Vikings in an early morning matchup that saw the Vikings taking the win 3 sets to 1. Following the morning match, the Rams faced a tough test against the Sabercats and ended up dropping the match 0 sets to 3. Even though the Rams fell in both matches on the day, there are multiple positives to be taken away from today's matches as they head into the next week.

Game 1 Recap

The Rams managed a strong start to the day as they first squared-off against the Lawrence University Vikings and took the first set 25-23. After the Rams showed promise early on in the match and stole the first set, the Blue and Gold found trouble maintaining synergy with each other to stop the Vikings' attack. The Vikings amassed an impressive .308 hitting percentage, which was the foundation to their efficient offensive success the rest of the way. Once taking the first set, the Vikings never looked back and swept the remaining sets from the Rams to end up taking the victory 3 to 1 (25-23, 14-25, 19-25, and 18-25).

Key Performers:

• Emily DiGiorgio  provided the spark the Rams early on in the match and led the Rams on the offensive end with 14 kills.
• Rachel Beckman  provided stability all around the court for the Rams. She ended up recording 8 kills, 15 assists, and 13 digs to provide impact everywhere for the Blue and Gold.

Game 2 Recap

NCU followed their first contest of the day by taking on the Sabercats of Maranatha Baptist University, who have proven to be a solidified volleyball squad in the 2019 season. The Rams fought hard against the Sabercats in each set throughout the match, but were unable to capitalize on their chances towards the end of the sets. The Rams continued to attack, but weren't able to produce on the offensive side and ended up dropping the final match of the Rockford Invitational 3 sets to 0. All in all, the Rams faced two tough schools today. They will look to learn from the bright snapshots of today, and improve on them moving forward into the rest of their season.

Key Performer(s):

• Cydonia Rue made her impact as a true freshman for NCU. She ended up leading all Rams with 8 kills on the match to guide their offensive force.

Coaches Corner

After another heavy workload for the Rams, Head Coach Faith Ooms had some words of encouragement and reflection from the weekend:

"Our main focus this tournament was our effort and perseverance. As we are battling injuries and playing 8 games in two weekends, we executed that goal well Friday night, with high hitting percentages and a connected defense. Saturday, we knew would be a challenge. We had our ups and downs, but overall we still played regardless of the circumstances, while playing tougher teams. Our biggest takeaway is our growth through resiliency. And through hardships and success we are truly getting stronger together as a team. In the future we are looking forward to that bond that we shared through our fight and healthier players. God is good."

-Head Coach Faith Ooms

Looking Ahead

As the NCU volleyball team now stands at a respectable record of 5-6 for the 2019 slate, they will aim their sights on preparing for a triangular hosted by the Northland College in Ashland, WI this upcoming Wednesday, (9/18). The triangular will include two matchups between extremely familiar teams to the Rams. NCU will be clashing with the Lions of Finlandia University, and the Northland College Lumberjills on the Lumberjills' home court in a non-UMAC matchup. This upcoming contest will give the Rams great insight on building a foundation for their rotation before heading into a string of crucial conference play, starting in the beginning of October. Leading up to the match, fans are encouraged to enjoy previews to go along with GameDay graphics to gain a prospective look into the upcoming triangular via ncurams.com.