Warriors show progress, competitiveness in UIC quad

Last week, the Central volleyball team participated in its first-ever conference quad, a new addition to the schedule with the recent conference expansion and the creation of big- and small-school divisions. In the quad, Central faced off against MFL MarMac and South Winn, falling in two sets to both teams but showing progress and competitiveness throughout the night.

In their opening match against MFL MarMac, the Warriors were aggressive at the net, recording 83 attack attempts but finishing with 14 kills. Leading the offense was Katie Royer with five kills, followed by freshman Ella Frieden with four. Royer and Brylee Erickson shared setting duties, tallying five and seven assists, respectively. 

While the Warriors struggled with 21 hitting errors, they continued to serve strong, finishing 90 percent as a team. Alivia Wiley was perfect from the service line, going nine for nine with an ace. 

Defensively, Royer also led with 13 digs, followed by Erickson and Tenley Bormann with seven each and Frieden with six. Wiley anchored the net with two solo blocks and two block assists.

In their second match of the evening, Central battled a powerful offensive South Winn squad, falling 18-25 in both sets. The Warriors cut their hitting errors down to 12 while recording 12 kills. Royer and Erickson each contributed four kills, while Royer also added eight assists and Erickson four. 

On defense, Bormann led with seven digs and Wiley added five. 

From the service line, the team finished just shy of their 90 percent season goal at 89 percent, missing only four serves. Royer went eight for eight with an ace, while Bormann was a perfect seven for seven.

“Despite the losses, the Warriors showed competitiveness against both opponents. With continued focus on reducing hitting errors and building offensive consistency, the team looks forward to improving each time they step on the court,” said coach Kelly Erickson.