MINNEAPOLIS, Minn, —North Central University (NCU) Rams volleyball hosted their first doubleheader of the season tonight in Clark-Danielson Gymnasium. The first match this afternoon was against the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM) Cougars, followed by Northland College (NC) Lumberjills. In the first game, the Cougars' relentless assault took the series three matches to zero, with the Rams fighting back and forcing UMM to make the most of each possession. In the end, Morris went home with the win. In the second matchup of the night, Northland found themselves face to face with a fired-up North Central after their loss earlier in the afternoon. NCU took the first two sets with force but were slowed by in the third set, where the Lumberjills axed away the lead and stole the third set. In the end, the Rams pulled out the 3-2 win over the Northland. Going 1-1 on the day, NCU has shown constant improvement this season.

Game 1: University of Minnesota Morris

The Cougars took the first set 25-9. They came out to an 8-0 run a tactical timeout ended by head coach Faith Ooms to halt their momentum and make some changes. NCU ended this run coming out of the break in the action with a kill by Bria Reiser (Berlin, WI, Berlin High School). Emily DiGiorgio (Ironwood, MI, Luther L. Wright High School) met the Cougars at the net countless times, but UMM would reply with rallies to secure the point and take the first set and holding the Rams to just nine points.

In the second set, Morris continued to prove a dangerous opponent, finishing multiple long rallies and going on stretches with no sideouts in sight for the Rams. At one point in the second set, Northland had a 10 point stretch ended by a big-time block by DiGiorgio. The Rams were able to add one more point to their total this time around, finishing the second set 10-25.

The third set started much differently from the previous sets. Stopping the Cougars after just three points, the Rams had the ball with a score of 3-1. DiGiorgio again met UMM at the net and launched a missile at the back left corner inside the white lines. After this, both teams exchanged possession and crept slowly to the final destination of 25 points. Morris eventually pulled away with the lead, leading to the Rams using their final timeout with a score of 9-16 in favor of UMM. NCU continued to fight until the last point and refused to go down easily, but Morris took the first game's final set with a final score of 15-25.

Game 2: Northland College

In tonight's second competition, it was the Lumberjills that met the Rams on their home court. In contrast to their first game this afternoon, NCU came out with something to prove. They took the lead early in the first set and would hold the lead until they hit 25. Lead by Emily DiGiorgio's 18 total kills in the five sets with Northland; the Rams were determined to walk away with the win tonight. Karlee Martinez (Woodbury, MN, St. Croix Central High School) and Alannah Easter (Spring Lake Park, MN, Spring Lake Park High School) served as the focal points recording a combined 51 assists. On the front lines, DiGiorgio, Reiser, and Jaselyn Anderson (Farmington, MN, Christian Life Academy) proved to be a tricky obstacle at the net, sending numerous shots right back to the Lumberjills. Four of these returns ended up as blocks for Anderson and three for Reiser. On the defensive side of the net,  Hallie Fuglestad (Maple Grove, MN, Maple Grove Senior High School) tallied 28 digs to rally Northland's attacks back on their side of the net. In the fourth set, Northland came back from a significant Rams lead to take the set, but not before DiGiorgio let the ball fly to the back left corner once again. Northland ended up taking the fourth set, 21-25. Both teams showed their determination skill in the final set, but the North Central came out on top with a final score of 15-12 to conclude tonight's thriller of a doubleheader.

Key Performers

• Bria Reiser 2 assisted and one solo block alongside 13 kills
• Emily DiGiorgio 4 assisted and one solo block with 22 kills
• Hallie Fuglestad recorded 38 digs to lead NCU's backcourt efforts.
• Alannah Easter tallied 35 assists while Karlee Martinez managed 27 assists to set up the outside hitters for success.

Looking Forward

Following tonight's home games, North Central volleyball has an extended road trip stint, finally returning home April 1st against Bethany Lutheran College. Next, volleyball has an away non-conference matchup against Hamline University on Tuesday the 23rd. Stay up to date with volleyball as they continue their season on ncurams.com and our social media (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter)