PICTURED ABOVE: Madeline Moore led the Thunder with 18 kills in Wheaton's 3-1 victory at North Park on Tuesday night.

Chicago, Ill. - The Thunder volleyball team concluded its 2018 season on Tuesday night with a 3-1 victory at North Park University. Wheaton finishes the season on a four-match winning streak, bringing its final record to 15-16 overall and 2-6 in the CCIW. Wheaton dropped the first set by a score of 25-21 before sweeping the final three sets 25-23, 25-22, and 25-22. With the loss, North Park concludes its season with a record of 16-13 and 3-5 in the CCIW.

Wheaton rallied from an early deficit in the opening set, using an 8-3 run in the middle of the set to take their first lead of the match at 12-11 on a service ace by Kelly Thornton. A four-point Viking run later in the set turned a 13-12 Thunder lead into a 16-13 lead for the Vikings. Wheaton closed to within two points on several occasions late in the set but could not pull even as the Vikings closed the set 25-21.

A six-point run midway through the second set pushed Wheaton out of a tie at 11 and into a 17-11 lead, but the Vikings rallied, finally tying the score at 23. A service error and an attack error by the Vikings gave the Thunder a 25-23 second set victory. North Park raced out to a 7-2 lead in the third set, but Wheaton countered with seven-straight points to take a 9-7 lead. After the set tied three times down the stretch, Wheaton scored four of the final five points to pull out a 25-22 victory.

The third set was hotly contested with neither team leading by more than two points until five-point run by the Vikings gave the hosts a 19-16 lead. Wheaton closed the Viking lead, tying the fourth set at 21. Following a Viking kill, Ellie Brown tied the match at 22 with a kill and consecutive kills by Madeline Moore before Sadie Elsenbroek finished the match with her seventh kill.

Moore led the Thunder with 18 kills and was joined in double figures by Colleen Smith who had 16 kills and 18 digs. Kelly Thornton dished out 26 assists to go with 13 digs. Jess Bosse led the Thunder with 19 digs.