ROCKFORD, Ill. -- The North Central University (NCU) volleyball team headed into their second day of play in the Rockford Tournament. The Rams first took on Marian University (MU) but were unable to beat Panthers losing in four (25-22, 24-26, 25-16, 25-20). NCU came back to beat Grace Christian University (GCU) in three easy sets (25-13, 27-25, 25-22).

Game #1 Recap

After a night of rest, the Rams were right back into play against the Panthers. The first two sets were very back and forth between the teams. MU won the first and NCU won the second with a kill from Bria Reiser (Berlin, WI, Berlin High School) and then the set-winner by setter Grace Brigson (West Salem, WI, West Salem High School). The Panthers came out strong in the third, winning their second set of the match. In the fourth set, the Rams almost pushed the game to five sets with the help of Hannah Fischer's (Kenyon, MN, Kenyon Wanamingo High School) defense. Fischer helped in the back court immensely by getting 16 digs. With these digs, Fischer surpassed 1,000 digs in her career, a feat that is hard to come by. Fellow senior Emily DiGiorgio (Ironwood, MI, Luther L. Wright High School) had a great game as well as she contributed eight kills and three blocks. The Rams had twice as many blocks as the Panthers displaying their dominance at the net. NCU played cohesively throughout the match and kept up great energy throughout the match.

Game #2 Recap

The Rams came out hot in the first set against the Tigers, easily beating GCU by 12 points. The Tigers made it a little harder for NCU in the second two sets, however, the Rams experience and talent led them to close out the tournament with a victory. NCU controlled the match in every aspect, including total points, kills, service aces, blocks, assists, and digs. Brigson had 31 assists of her own and led the Rams with five service aces. DiGiorgio and Makayla Krohnberg (Blaine, MN, Blaine High School) added in four service aces each, showing off the Ram's excellent serving skills. Krohnberg was vital on the front line as well, having nine kills, closely followed by DiGiorgio with eight. It was a great way to end the season and the result makes it exciting to watch this volleyball team in the season to come.

Key Performers

• Hannah Fischer had a great couple games racking up a total of 25 digs. With her 16 digs in the first match, she reached 1,000 digs for her four year career at NCU.
• Emily DiGiorgio had a total of 16 digs in the games.
• In the two matches, Makayla Krohnberg had 16 kills, 16 digs, and six service aces.

Looking Ahead

With this tournament, the Rams complete their 2021 season. NCU volleyball says good-bye to three outstanding seniors, Jaselyn Anderson, Emily DiGiorgio, and Hannah Fischer, who will be greatly missed on the court and on campus. All fans are encouraged to tune into official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages for updates on volleyball's offseason, and more important information.