Wheaton, Ill. – The Thunder volleyball team closed out the 2025 regular season schedule on Tuesday night with an important victory against North Central College in King Arena. Wheaton defeated the Cardinals 3-1. North Central won the first set 25-18 and Wheaton responded with a 25-23 victory in the second set to tie the match at 1-1. The Thunder won the third set 25-20 and the hosts closed out the match with a 25-18 victory in the fourth set.

Tonight's Thunder victory improves Wheaton to 21-9 overall and 4-4 in CCIW play and currently places the Thunder in third place in the CCIW standings. While tonight's win does not mathematically secure Wheaton a spot in next week's six-team CCIW Tournament, Wheaton is nearly assured a spot. There are four conference matches remaining this week and Wheaton will learn of its possible placement in the tournament as well as its opponent and location on Friday when the final CCIW match of the regular is completed.

Thunder senior Jordan Benford led Wheaton with a career-high 19 kills tonight. Benford added 10 digs, three total blocks and three service aces. Fellow senior Ashton Major tallied 12 kills with a .304 hitting percentage. Katherine Adkison tallied six kills with a .482 hitting percentage, and freshman Mary Hamann added five kills.

Senior setter Lacey Higgins had a match-high 44 assists, and she added 11 digs. Senior libero Grace Autry had a team-high 16 digs. Hamann had five total blocks for the Thunder.

North Central won the first set 25-18. The opening set was tied 14-14 when the Cardinals scored four-consecutive points to take an 18-14 and the guests never relinquished the lead in the set. Benford had a set-high three kills and Higgins had five assists with five digs.

Wheaton won a back-and-forth second set 25-23. The set was tied 15 times with 10 lead changes. The final tie in the set was at 23-23 when Benford served up two-consecutive aces that secured the win for the Thunder, 25-23. Benford had seven kills in the set with two service aces. Higgins had 12 assists.

The Thunder won the third set 25-20 to lead the match 2-1. The set was tied at 13-13 when a Benford kill was the first of three-consecutive points for the Thunder as Wheaton led 16-13. Wheaton's five-point lead in the final 25-20 result was the team's largest lead of the set. Benford and Major each had five kills in the set, while Higgins had 13 assists.

The hosts closed out the match by winning the fourth set 25-18. The Cardinals led the set 7-4 when the Thunder tallied five unanswered points to give Wheaton a 9-7 lead. Major had two kills in the key 5-0 run and Benford also had a kill. Wheaton remained in the lead for the rest of the set. Major had five kills in the set and Benford added four. Higgins had 14 assists in the set, while Miriam Pozdol-Niego had two service aces. Autry tallied eight digs.