New Ulm, MN – North Central University (NCU) Volleyball continued Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play Friday night against the Martin Luther College (MLC) Knights on the road. The Rams entered tonight's matchup looking to grab their first conference victory of the season, following last year's sweep of the Knights in both contests. Despite stretches of strong momentum and several late rallies, North Central came up short, falling in three straight sets.

Set 1: 25-20 | Set 2: 25-22 | Set 3: 25-22

The opening frame started slowly for NCU as the Rams fell behind early after a 7-0 opponent run. Senior Maggie Kohl and sophomore Gabbie Ruzek responded with kills to spark a comeback, followed by back-to-back points from senior Lexie Semrau and freshman setter Tatum Olson that narrowed the deficit to 15-11. North Central continued to battle, with sophomore Brianna Brown and Semrau providing timely swings at the net, combining for five kills in the set. Defensively, senior libero Maci Tripp anchored the back row with several critical digs to keep rallies alive. Despite closing the gap late, the early deficit proved costly as the Rams dropped the first set, 25-20.

Set two featured one of the Rams' most competitive stretches of the night. After falling behind 5-1, NCU stormed back behind the serving of freshman Abby Rhoades, who tallied a service ace and distributed assists on a 5-0 run that included kills from Brown, Semrau, and Kohl. The teams traded points throughout, tying the score 11 different times. Semrau continued to dominate at the net with three kills and a block, while Brown found success from the outside with consistent placement through the opposing defense. Despite holding a 21-20 lead late, NCU couldn't hold off a final push from the hosts, dropping the frame 25-22.

North Central came out swinging in set three, jumping to an early 5-0 lead highlighted by kills from Kohl and freshman Maizy Sunblad, as well as strong serving from Maia Scheffler. The Rams' front line controlled play early, with Semrau contributing another block and Ruzek recording two kills to extend the lead. MLC slowly crept back, but NCU continued to answer behind scrappy defensive play from Tripp and Scheffler, who combined for key digs during long rallies. In the closing moments, Ruzek and Kohl each landed late kills to tie the set at 22-22, but the Rams couldn't convert the final points, falling narrowly at 25-22. 

Looking Ahead:

Next week, the Rams return home to the Clark-Danielson Gymnasium for a UMAC matchup with Bethany Lutheran College on Friday, October 17th, with first serve scheduled for 7:00 PM.

As always, all fans are encouraged to tune into the official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X) pages for updates on women's volleyball and all things NCU Athletics.