The Carthage College women’s volleyball team (22-3, 6-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), ranked ninth in the Oct. 20 American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll and third in the Oct. 21 NCAA Division III Midwest Regional poll, played its final regular-season home match on Tuesday, Oct. 20 and swept CCIW-opponent Illinois Wesleyan University (16-13, 4-2 CCIW), 3-0, at Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis. Carthage’s winning set scores were 25-12, 25-14 and 25-17 in a match that lasted just 58 minutes. With the win, Carthage clinched at least a share of the conference champion ship, as well as the top seed in the CCIW Volleyball Tournament. The Lady Reds also extended their CCIW record to 43-straight regular-season conference victories going back to 2003.
In the first set, Carthage jumped out to an 11-4 lead. The Titans closed to within two points, 11-9, before the Lady Reds closed out the set on a 14-3 run to win by 13, 25-12. In set two, Carthage fell behind, 5-3, before taking off on a 10-1 run to take a 13-6 lead. Illinois Wesleyan closed to within three, 13-10, but the Lady Reds closed out the set with a 12-4 run to win by 11 points, 25-14. In the third set, Carthage opened up a 9-2 lead before the Titans closed to within three, 13-10. The set was a four-point affair, 18-14, before Carthage closed things out on a 7-3 run to win by eight, 25-17.
With outside hitter Michelle Madeja (So., Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) missing the match with an illness, Amanda Durkin (Jr., Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley) stepped up from her defensive specialist spot to collected 10 kills with a .368 attack percentage. Right-side player Rachel Swoboda (Jr., De Pere, Wis./Wrightstown) also had 10 kills and hit .421. Middle blocker Amanda Matusky (Sr., Hickory Hills, Ill./Palos Hills-Stagg) had six block assists. Setter Drewann Pancratz (So., Schaumburg, Ill.) averaged 9.33 assists per set with three service aces.
On Friday-Saturday, Oct. 23-24, the Lady Reds travel to Tiffin, Ohio, for the Heidelberg College Tournament. On Friday, Oct. 23, Carthage plays Webster University at 7 p.m., EDT. On Saturday, Oct. 24, the Lady Reds face No. 7 Wittenberg University at 1 p.m., EDT, and No. 17 Heidelberg at 3 p.m., EDT.