Freshman Caleb Minnis had 24 kills as Augustana took 12th ranked North Central
to five sets before falling on Saturday.
NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Freshman
Caleb Minnis (Downers Grove South HS, Downers Grove, Ill.) had a superb outing on Saturday, March 23 in Naperville, Illinois but it wasn't enough as Augustana dropped a tough five set match to 12
th ranked North Central. The Vikings fell 25-20; 23-25; 25-20; 20-25; 10-15 in Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League action at Merner Fieldhouse/Gregory Arena.
Minnis put on quite a show as he recorded 24 kills with seven hitting errors in 48 total attempts for a hitting percentage of .354. He also had an assisted block in the match. Sophomore
Jason Szara (Lincoln-Way East HS, Frankfort, Ill.) chipped in with 14 kills while sophomore
Justin Murphy (Glenbard East HS, Lombard, Ill.) was also in double figures with 13 kills.
In the first set the Vikings led by a single point (19-18) late in the action but a Minnis kill off an assist from freshman
Sanchit Khaitan (Glenbard North HS, Bloomingdale, Ill.) kick-started a 6-2 run that allowed the visitors to close out the first set 25-20.
North Central won a tight 25-23 decision in the second set and the Vikings followed a similar script in game three. With the score 20-19 in favor of Augustana, a kill by Murphy sparked a 5-1 run to the finish that allowed the Vikings to win 25-20. Freshman
John Otoo (Vernon Hills HS, Vernon Hills, Ill.) served three straight points in that run. Freshman
Luis Zavala (Lincoln-Way East HS, Frankfort, Ill.) finished the set with a kill from a set by Khaitan. Zavala had eight kills with just one error in only 12 attempts for a hitting percentage of .583.
The Cardinals broke away from a 16-16 tie in the fourth set and won 25-20 to set up the decisive fifth set. In the fifth set the Vikings bolted out to a 10-6 lead but North Central scored the final nine points to take the set and the match.
Khaitan had 51 setting assists and 16 digs to lead the Vikings while sophomore
Matthew Schiferl (Wheeling HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) had 10 digs.
North Central, ranked 12
th in the latest NCAA Division III national poll, got 18 kills from Bozhidar Kolev and 13 from Jacob Zemba. Michael Trunzo had 50 setting assists for the Cardinals.
Augustana is now 9-13 on the year and 3-2 in the MCVL while North Central is 14-9 and 4-2 in league play. Augustana's next match will be Thursday, March 28 in the Carver Center against Loras. The first serve is set for 7:00 p.m.
