Minneapolis, MN -- Friday, the North Central University (NCU) Volleyball team returned to Clark-Danielson Gymnasium for Senior Night, hosting the Martin Luther College (MLC) Knights in their final home match of the season. The Rams took the floor looking to deliver a strong performance in front of their home crowd. Earlier this fall, NCU and MLC met in New Ulm, where the Rams showed competitive stretches but ultimately came up short. This time, the Rams battled to the very end in a thrilling five-set match, falling just short in the deciding set. However, Senior leadership was on full display as senior middle hitter Maggie Kohl and senior middle/right-side Lexie Semrau added 9 and 8 kills respectively, while senior libero Maci Tripp anchored the defense with a team-best 24 digs. Sophomore setter/right-side Gabbie Ruzek led the offensive effort with 15 kills to go with 7 digs.

Set 1: 25-22 | Set 2: 15-25 | Set 3: 20-25 | Set 4: 25-23 | Set 5: 13-15

The Rams came out composed and energized, feeding off the Senior Night crowd to take early control of the opening set. Gabbie Ruzek and Maggie Kohl established a strong attacking rhythm through the middle, while Maci Tripp kept rallies alive with a number of crucial digs. Despite late pressure from the opposing side, NCU closed the set on a kill from Kohl to take the 25-22 set victory.

Momentum swung in the second frame as the Rams struggled to find offensive consistency. A handful of hitting errors allowed the visitors to jump ahead early, though freshman setter Tatum Olson and Ruzek kept NCU within striking distance with key kills and service pressure. Despite flashes of energy, the Rams were unable to recover from the early deficit and dropped the set 15-25.

NCU regrouped in the third, battling point-for-point through the opening half of the set. Semrau delivered timely blocks at the net, and Ruzek's attacking helped the Rams stay within two points late. However, the third would be a game of runs. The Knights went on a 10-2 run in the middle of the set to extend their lead to 21-11. NCU fought back, rallying to a 7-0 run fueled by a kill from senior Kenedi Patin and a handful of attack errors on the part of MLC. A late push by the Knights led to the Rams falling 20-25 despite recording six different players with kills in the frame.

Facing elimination, the Rams played one of their most inspired sets of the season. Kohl and Ruzek sparked the offense with a series of kills during a 7-1 run midway through the set. Defensive efforts from Tripp and freshman libero Maia Scheffler helped NCU withstand several late rallies, and a perfectly placed kill from Brianna Brown sealed the 25-23 win to force a decisive fifth set. The Rams hit .094 in the frame, nearly double their match average, while tallying a match-high 16 kills.

The final set captured the intensity of Senior Night as both teams traded points in a tense back-and-forth finish. NCU fell behind 2-6 early, but Olson kept finding her hitters in Autumn Kaczmarek and Semrau to cut the deficit to just one at 10-11. Despite strong defensive stands and a late kill from Maizy Sundblad, the Rams narrowly fell 13-15 in a thrilling conclusion.

Looking Ahead: 

North Central will wrap up its regular season schedule on Saturday, November 8th, traveling to Mankato, MN, for a road matchup against Bethany Lutheran College. First serve is set for 1:00 PM inside the North Gym. 

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.