ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA — North Central (MN) volleyball dropped a four-set decision to Hamline Wednesday at Hutton Fieldhouse, North Central 1, Hamline 3 (25-19, 11-25, 13-25, 21-25).
North Central came out strong in the opening set, jumping ahead early and never trailing by more than a point despite a back-and-forth start that saw the set tied on
eight separate occasions. The set turned in the Rams' favor at 16-16, when Alexis Alms stepped to the service line and sparked a five-point run, capped by an ace, that pushed North Central out to a 21-16 lead. From there, the Rams closed it out behind a late kill from Gabbie Ruzek off a Abby Rhoades set to seal the 25-19 win.
Hamline responded by controlling the next two sets behind a hot-hitting stretch that saw the Wildcats hit .333 and .452, respectively. North Central pushed back in the fourth, trading eight lead changes before Hamline closed it out 25-21.
The Rams struggled to find consistency on offense for much of the night, battling through a tough hitting night against a well-positioned Hamline block.
North Central got contributions across the roster as it worked to stay competitive. Abby Rhoades ran the offense with a team-high 14 assists, Allina Mendoza and Maia Scheffler each chipped in 10 digs on the back row, and Jazzlyn Collier and Tatum Olson helped steady the Rams' rotation throughout the match.
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North Central looks to bounce back and find its rhythm as it continues its season.
