NEW ULM, Minn. -- North Central University (NCU) volleyball hit the road on Wednesday night in a conference showdown with the Martin Luther College (MLC) Knights. Despite battling in the entire night and pushing the Knights each step of the way, the Rams fell to MLC in three sets (21-25, 22-25, and 23-25).

Game Recap

The Rams jumped out to an early lead in the first set 5 to 3 with a Jaselyn Anderson (Farmington, MN, Christian Life Academy) kill. Through the rest of the set, the Knights took hold of the lead and managed to not give it up even with the Rams trailing closely behind. NCU never allowed the Knights' lead to span more than five points.

The start to the second set showcased the Rams' strongest performance and greatest lead of the night, when they led Martin Luther the majority of the way at 19 to 17 in favor of NCU. A strong defensive presence that turned quickly into a relentless offensive attack by hitters Emily DiGiorgio (Ironwood, MI, Luther L. Wright High School) and Hannah Fischer (Kenyon, MN, Kenyon Wanamingo High School) were key to making it happen. Even though North Central held the lead the majority of the way, the Knights came back down the final stretch in the set to take it in another close one 22 to 25.

The final set of the night was a back-and-forth battle until the end, as NCU and MLC swapped the lead several times throughout. This time it was the Knights who took command of the lead early on and the Rams storming back to claw themselves into the game. Fueled by several assists in the latter half of the set, Alannah Easter was fed the set continuously all night, allowing the Rams to not let the lead span more than 8 points at 14 to 6. Despite the deficit, the Rams battled back and retook the lead at 19 to 18. The final services landed in the Knights's favor, allowing them to narrowly edge NCU 23 to 25 and come away with the match.

Key Performers

• Bria Reiser (Berlin, WI, Berlin High School) recorded 10 kills on an efficient .346 hitting percentage in addition to a solo and assisted block
• Alannah Easter (Spring Lake Park, MN, Spring Lake Park High School) continued her impressive start to the season by continuing to serve as North Central's go-to setter, tallying 31 assists on the night.
• Sophomore libero Hallie Fuglestad (Maple Grove, MN, Maple Grove Senior High School) put up 19 digs in the back row.

Looking Ahead

As NCU volleyball makes its way through its conference season, the Rams will look ahead to their next opponent in hopes of a bounce-back win. This Saturday afternoon North Central will be hosting a full slate of games in Clark-Danielson Gymnasium when they take on the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM) Cougars in a UMAC contest at 1:00 p.m., and the Northland College Lumberjills in a non-conference affair at 5:00 p.m. Due to an adjustment of institutional COVID-19 protocols, a predetermined group of fans will be allowed entrance to home volleyball games moving forward. Those not on the selected player and coach list are encouraged to tune into the upcoming action at ncurams.com/watch.