Matches played Oct. 12

NCHS keeps Big 12 lead

Big 12 Conference leader Normal Community dug itself an early hole before rallying for a 22-25, 25-18, 25-23 win over Centennial at Champaign.

Jenny Menendez paced NCHS' attack with 11 kills. The Ironmen (22-3, 7-0) also received 27 assists from Nicki Gerig, 12 service points and four aces from Mary Trimpe, and 25 digs from Rachel Feldman.

"We just had to scratch and claw our way through the entire match," said NCHS coach Andrea Kenny. "We did good job of fighting through it but nothing came easy all night.

"I thought Paige Lay came in and gave us a boost offensively in the second and third games. Kourtney Higgins played a real good game defensively."

Centennial fell to 15-12, 4-4.

Pioneers rebound to beat Prairie Central

The University High School volleyball team overcame a sluggish start to hand Prairie Central a 25-14, 25-6 Corn Belt Conference setback Thursday night at Normal.

League-leading U High, which improved to 17-10 overall and 11-1 in the Corn Belt, scored the final 11 points in the first game to pull away from a 14-14 tie.

Ashlee Sang had three aces among her 21 service points for U High, and Bridget Lam had a team-high 11 kills. Tara Bruns added 17 assists.

"We came out playing kind of short," said U High coach Cathy Sanders. "The first game our passes were short, we weren't getting looks at the net and we weren't finishing on our attack. Once we got in the groove we carried the momentum from that point on."

Saints hold off Olympia

Central Catholic overcame a tough first game loss to gain a hard-fought 24-26, 27-25, 25-18 Corn Belt Conference victory over Olympia at Bloomington.

Megan Schmidt powered the Saints (15-11, 9-3) with 27 kills, 12 of those coming in the second game, 15 digs and two blocks. Kristyn Mysker dished out 28 assists while Kelsey Lockett had 16 service points and Nicole Henson also had 15 digs for Central Catholic.

Olympia (17-10, 8-4) was led by Taylor Eichelberger who had 17 digs and seven kills. Kelsy Heiser added 13 assists and eight service points for the Spartans.