Mankato, MN -- Saturday, the North Central University (NCU) Volleyball team wrapped up its 2025 regular season on the road with an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) matchup against the Bethany Lutheran College (BLC) Knights. Coming off their thrilling five-set Senior Night contest a night ago, the Rams looked to carry their momentum into their final regular-season contest. Despite strong stretches of play, NCU fell in straight sets.

Set 1: 25-12 | Set 2: 25-15  | Set 3: 25-12 

The opening frame began tightly contested, as NCU traded early sideouts through balanced swings from Gabbie Ruzek and Maggie Kohl. The Rams' back-row defense, led by Tripp and freshman setter Tatum Olson, kept several rallies alive with extended digs. However, as the set progressed, a string of attack errors hindered NCU's rhythm, allowing BLC to pull away midway through. Despite the Rams' hustle and strong defensive positioning, the home side capitalized on transition opportunities to close out the frame, 25-12.

NCU regrouped in the second set, producing one of their more competitive stretches of the afternoon. Kills from Ruzek and Kohl and a service ace from Olson helped keep the Rams within striking distance. Freshman setter Rhoades distributed the ball well, mixing in back-row attacks to keep the defense guessing. Defensively, Olson and Tripp combined for key digs to extend long rallies. However, a late scoring run from BLC pushed the lead back to double digits as NCU's attack percentage dipped following a few unforced errors. Despite the late push, the Rams dropped the set 25-15.

The Vikings opened the third set with 5 straight points. North Central battled evenly through the first several points before BLC answered with a decisive mid-set run. Tripp continued to anchor the defense with steady passing, while Semrau and Brown looked to generate late offense at the pins. Ultimately, the Rams were unable to sustain consistent scoring as the set closed out 25-12 in favor of the Vikings.

Looking Ahead:

Volleyball will now shift its focus to the 2025 NCCAA DII Women's Volleyball North Regional Tournament, where the Rams will host #3 Crown College in the Region Semifinal on Monday, November 10th. First serve is set for 2:30 PM inside Clark-Danielson Gymnasium in Minneapolis.

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.