BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The Olivet Nazarene University women's volleyball team won its fifth straight match, taking down the Wolves of Cardinal Stritch University in McHie Arena on Tuesday night. 

Kills by Becca Bell, Carleigh Johnson, and Anna McGovern kickstarted the offense for the Tigers in the early going as the two teams traded the first 10 points of the first set.  The Wolves then scored four of the next five points and led, 9-6. The Tigers then came back and knotted it up at 10 with the offense coming off the hand of Rachel Newport.  After the Wolves tied the match at 15, the Tigers went on a 4-2 run, which made the score, 19-16.  Three late kills from Sutton Bate gave the Tigers the 25-21 victory in the first set. 

Kaitlyn McMahan marked a service ace to start off the second set for the Tigers as they took five of the first seven points. With the Tigers up 11-9, a run that was highlighted by a kill by Katarina Nikolic and an ace from McMahan, put the Tigers out in front, 14-9.  The Wolves then fought back and tied the match at 15.  With the match tied at 17, the Tigers responded scoring eight of the final nine points to take the set, 25-18.  Nikolic, McGovern, and Newport supplied the offense on that run for ONU. 

The two teams played a highly-contested beginning of the third set as the two teams traded the first 18 points.  The Tigers then saw timely offense from Nikolic and Janelle Skinner as ONU took a 12-9 lead.  The Wolves hung in tough and cut the ONU lead to 19-18. 

Kills from Nikolic and Bate down the stretch lifted the Tigers over the Wolves, 25-19, in the third set.  The Tigers then took the match in straight sets. 

GAME VITALS

Finals: First Set: ONU 25, CSU 21 | Second Set: ONU 25, CSU 18 | Third Set: ONU 25, CSU 19

Records: Olivet Nazarene: 12-5 (8-2 CCAC) | Cardinal Stritch: 9-5 (6-3 CCAC)

Location: McHie Arena | Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais, Ill.

QUICK HITS

• Newport led the Tigers with 10 kills, while Nikolic followed with 9 kills.
• Newport hit a career-high .667
• Hadleigh Loitz led the Tigers with 17 assists, while Skinner racked up 10. 
• McMahan led the Tigers with 30 digs and a trio of service aces. 
• The Tigers hit .217 as a team.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Tigers hit the road on Wednesday, October 6 against the Trolls of Trinity Christian College in DeVos Gymnasium.  The opening service is set for 7 p.m.

--ONU—

*Contact: Sam Viebrock, Sports Information Director, stviebrock@olivet.edu