Minneapolis, MN -- The North Central University (NCU) volleyball team came back home to host the Bethany Lutheran College (BLC) Vikings this Saturday afternoon. The last time these two teams met, the Rams swept the Vikings in just three sets. But today, during North Central's Friends & Family Weekend, BLC would seek revenge and hold the Rams to just one set victory, with a final score of 3-1 to even the season series. 

The Rams were off to a steady start in the first set, keeping the score consistent with the Vikings for the first several volleys. Hailey Lerfald played a key role in the Rams' set one success, with 5 kills to help put the Rams on top. Jada Lee challenged the Vikings from the service line, with numerous service aces driving NCU to a 25-19 set one win. 

Things began to take a turn for NCU as BLC gained momentum going into the second set. Once again, the Rams stayed consistent in scoring to start off set number two. However, trailing by one at 8-7, Bethany went on an 11-3 run to take a 18-10 lead. The Vikings cleaned up their 6 errors from set one with only 2 in the second to go along with their 13 kills. NCU struggled to keep pace and eventually fell 25-15. 

As set number three was underway, the momentum began to swing between both competitors. The Ram's defensive efforts began to dwindle as the Vikings scored five consecutive points in the match, building their momentum even stronger. Bethany began to pull ahead, fueled by strong contributions from their front line. North Central fought back, with Hailey Lerfald and Erica Tormanen contributing vital kills, but their efforts were often in vain due to Bethany's solid defense and occasional blocks. The consistency from the Vikings resulted in a 25-19 win to go up 2-1. 

The fourth and final set saw the Vikings take an early surge of scoring, with the Vikings opening up a 7-1 lead.  NCU attempted to combat the ever-growing momentum with kills by Hailey Lerfald and Lexie Semrau. Despite these efforts to take back the match, BLC continued to put pressure on NCU during the final set. As the set came to a close, North Central attempted to rally but could not fully recover. The Vikings capped off the comeback win with a 25-17 set four victory. Despite the loss, senior Hailey Lerfald had her best conference performance with 14 kills, 2 block assists, and 1 solo block while hitting .417 percent. 

Looking Ahead:

The Rams will remain at home to face the Crown Polars as NCU hosts Senior Night. The game is set for Friday, November 8th, at 7:00 PM.

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