CHICAGO (SabreAthletics.com) -- Marian University women's volleyball split a pair of matches on day one of the North Park University Viking Clash in Chicago Friday, Sept. 5. The Sabres went 1-1, falling to North Central (Ill.) before taking down Knox to start the two-day tournament.

The North Central College Cardinals were Marian's first competition, a 4-0 juggernaut from the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. With a tough team effort from the Sabres, the Cardinals were a challenge from the beginning, taking the first set, 25-14. The Cardinals were paced by Kedryn Orrison and Julie Laugel, each recording double-digit kills on the day.

After dropping the first set, the Sabres stood tall in the second, challenging the Cardinals. Amber Baker found herself with many opportunities to set the Sabres up for success having 14 assists in the match and getting help from Jessica Roberts who totaled nine kills. Despite the spark, it wasn't enough to outplay the Cardinals, as the Sabres fell, 25-19, in the second set.

The unbeaten Cardinals remained such as they put the hammer down in the third set en route to a 25-15 win. Despite the loss, the Sabres had an effective day challenging the top dog, and this aggressive play brought success for the Sabres later on in the day.

Marian would have see a better result later on against Knox College, who entered the day 1-5 through its first six games. Early on, however, it was the Prairie Fire seeking the upset bid as they pulled out a win in the first set, 25-13. The Sabres would turn things around, taking the second set 25-16 to even the match at one.  

Knox fought back to win the third set, 25-23, and put the Sabres in a similar situation to earlier in the week when they found themselves down 2-1 against Lawrence and came back to win in five in the home opener. 

The Sabres put in a team effort over the next two sets and ended wtih four players recording eight or more kills in the match. Roberts and Catelyn Brehm led the pack and were a large contribution of the next two sets.  

The Sabres were able to take the fourth set, 25-19, and then finish the Prairie Fire off, 15-9, for a decisive fifth set victory.

Knox's Kyleigh Guthals totaled 16 kills, while Jamie Blue added 13 kills to lead the Prairie Fire.

The win has the women at 1-1 and in good position to stir the tournament up on Saturday with games against Aurora at noon and host North Park at 2 p.m.