Coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history, NCC women’s volleyball looks to continue its positive results. Last year, the Cardinals finished 14-11 with a 4-4 record in CCIW play. This was the most conference wins the team has had since 2012.
Setter Maddi Barickman, ’25, and Outside Hitter Aidan Brown, ’24, both earned CCIW First Team honors and will be looked upon to lead this young and hungry team to glory. There were five Cardinals who finished with 100 or more kills last year. All of them will be returning for another go-around. This includes M. Barickman and Setter Anna Gawron, 24, who led the team in assists last year.
Setting the tone
The Cardinals will be under the guidance of Sydney Cheatham-Carlone, ’20, a former assistant coach who landed the head coaching job. She will be tasked with keeping the positive momentum forward as the Cardinals look to make some noise in the CCIW and beyond.
“The expectation our team has is to make it to the conference championship,” said Brown, looking forward to the season ahead of them. “We’ll have to show up every day with the strongest mindset possible to make those goals happen.”
Brown will be one of the 13 seniors graduating this year, the 2nd most seniors on any sport’s roster this year.
“This team is a sisterhood,” said freshman Outside Hitter/Defensive Specialist Lila Houston, ’27, as she got ready for her first year of collegiate volleyball. “We all love each other and will help each other out in every way we can.”
Steady start
The Cardinals opened their season in St. Louis at the Wash U Invite. They played four matches, including two schools ranked inside the top 25: No. 14 Washington University in St. Louis and No. 23 Otterbein. The team finished the tournament 3-1, including a victory over Otterbein. This marked the program’s first win against a ranked opponent since 2017.
They also defeated Webster University 3-1 and Hendrix College in a close 3-2 battle, then went the distance. Junior Outside Hitter Abbi Barickman led the team with a whopping 65 kills and five blocks over the weekend. Her sister Maddi finished with an impressive 151 assists. This helped her win CCIW Setter of the Week. Sophomore Aleesa Zebold obtained CCIW Defensive Player of the Week with her 80 digs, which ranks 15th in all of Division III.
Brown was also solid, with 15 kills and an ace to cap off the weekend.
“I want to become a very good teammate,” said Brown. She looks forward to improving herself throughout the season. “I hope to continue to build the program into a sisterhood and leave a sense of tradition for future Cardinals.”
Riding the ship
Even though the Cardinals had an impressive start to their season, there is still a long way to go. They don’t start conference play till September 13, where they open against the reigning CCIW champions and preseason favorites, North Park University. The Cardinals will also have to compete with Elmhurst. The Bluejays beat NCC in a thrilling 5-set match last year. Additionally, Augustana, who knocked the Cardinals out of the CCIW tournament last year remains a threat.
Houston says she “wants to enjoy the moment as much as possible while also getting better in the process.” It won’t be easy, but the NCC Women’s Volleyball team loves a challenge. They will do anything to ensure their goals are met.
