St. Bonifacius, MN --  North Central University (NCU) Volleyball continued conference play Saturday against the Crown College (CC) Polars in St. Bonifacius. After a short turnaround from last night's game in Morris, the Rams needed to regroup quickly to battle the Polars. In a non-conference countable match earlier this season, NCU took down Crown in four sets at the Faith Baptist Volleyball Classic. This afternoon, however, the Polars would defend their home court and defeat the Rams in three straight sets. 

Set 1: 25-23 | Set 2: 25-20 | Set 3: 25-18

The Rams came out energized, trading points early and building momentum behind strong net play from senior Lexie Semrau and sophomore Gabbie Ruzek, who combined for six early kills. NCU's service pressure, fueled by a pair of aces from Maci Tripp, helped the Rams keep the set tight throughout. A late 4-0 run by Crown forced NCU to play from behind, and despite rallying within two points late, the Rams couldn't quite complete the comeback. North Central fell 25-23 in set one. 

North Central again came out swinging in the second set, with freshman Tatum Olson and Semrau providing early offensive sparks. The Rams capitalized on several attack errors from the opponent to stay close through the midpoint of the frame. However, Crown's efficiency at the net became a factor as NCU's hitting percentage dipped slightly, recording 9 kills but 11 errors. Defensively, Abby Rhoades and Tripp combined for over 10 digs in the set, but a late 6-2 run from the Polars gave the hosts just enough cushion to edge out the second set at 25-20.

Looking to extend the match, NCU found an early rhythm with back-to-back kills from Ruzek and Maggie Kohl. Rhoades distributed the offense efficiently, helping five different Rams record kills in the set. Still, unforced errors proved costly, as NCU's attack percentage fell to -.048. Defensively, Semrau stood tall at the net with two solo blocks, and Tripp continued her stellar back-row play, adding several key digs to keep rallies alive. Despite the effort, Crown pulled away late with a decisive 7-1 closing stretch. The Polars sealed the deal with a 25-18 deciding set. 

Looking Ahead:

Next week, the Rams stay on the road as they travel to New Ulm for a matchup with Martin Luther College on Friday, October 10th. That game is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

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