MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- North Central University women's volleyball team headed across the Minnesota-Wisconsin border on Friday, in anticipation of a heavy weekend filled with matches ahead. The Rams squared off against two opponents on Friday, which was their first of two doubleheaders for the weekend, all apart of the Blue Angels Bash hosted by Mount Mary University. Results of the first match saw the Rams dropping their first match of the season to the Eureka College Devils, by a score of 3 sets to 0. In game two of the night, the Rams almost edged one out, but ended up falling to the Iowa Wesleyan University Tigers in a competitive match 3 sets to 2.

Game 1 Recap

In their first match of the Blue Angels Bash, the Rams clashed with the Devils of Eureka College, where they fought a steady 3 sets en route to taking their first loss of the season. The Rams came out in this one with a lot of momentum and emotion carried over from their previous match earlier in the week. The score of sets tell the story for the Rams in this one. With a slow start to the day, they were able to get going quickly after the initial set by competing with the Devils with an extremely close second and third set. Even though the Devils managed to sweep, the Rams showed their willingness to compete on a nightly basis. With a strong showing from the defensive side, the Rams weren't able to reciprocate the production offensively, leading to the narrow loss. Overall, the Devils bested the Rams in this one 3 sets to 0, with sets of 25-16, 26-24, and 26-24.

Key Performers:

• Hallie Fuglestad assertively led the way for the Rams on the defensive side. She generated 22 digs on the match, and her strong showing suggests what the Rams will continue to have from their freshman libero in the future.
• Emily DiGiorgio led along the net for the Rams defensively, where she posted a pair of blocks on the match.
• Hannah Fischer  was the Rams bright spot offensively. She accumulated 7 aces from the service line, and will look to continue her high service-to-point ratio as well.

Game 2 Recap

The Rams came into game two of the night, looking to get back on track from earlier in the day. The Rams were set to face the Iowa Wesleyan University Tigers after dropping their first match. Coming out with a vengeance, the Rams looked to get the offense going early and often, and they did. The Rams' outside hitters were able to find clear hitting lanes along the outside netting, which led to the Rams making an offensive presence early in the match. This lead to the Rams stealing the first two sets from the Tigers 25-21, and 25-23. After the first two sets, however, the momentum quickly changed back into the Tigers' favor, and they never looked back. After going up 2-0 early in the match, the Rams were unable to close the remaining 3 with sets of 21-25, 18-25, and 8-15. The Tiger defense schemed for their middle blockers to rotate further along the edges, which forced the Rams out of their offensive synch. After the Tigers willed their way into generating a fifth set, Rams were unable to close the match out. This led the Rams falling to the Tigers by a score of 3 sets to 2.

Key Performers:

• Senior, Setter Rachel Beckman was the foundation to the offensive showing the Rams put on. She was on fire from receiving passes and setting for the outside hitters, as she posted a season-high 26 assists on the night.
• Emily DiGiorgio managed to post a .310 hitting percentage, which consisted of 14 kills on 29 attacks.

Looking Ahead

The volleyball team will stay the night in Wisconsin, where they have a quick turnaround and are set to play the second double header of the tournament tomorrow. The Rams will first face off against the Beloit College Buccaneers at 11:45am, with their match against the hosts of the tournament (Mount Mary Blue Angels) following up in the afternoon at 2:00pm. After moving to 3-2 on the season, the Rams will look to grab a couple wins from the weekend before making the haul back to NCU. Continue to look to all social media and ncurams.com for results, coverage, and everything Rams volleyball.