The Carthage College women's volleyball team (18-6, 5-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), tied for seventh place in the Oct. 12 American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll, plays host to the CCIW-opponent and No. 24 Millikin University (22-5, 5-0 CCIW) in a key conference clash on Wednesday, Oct. 20 at Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis., beginning at 7 p.m. With two matches remaining the regular season, the two teams are tied for first place in the league with 5-0 records. Also at stake is Carthage's CCIW-record 49-match regular-season winning streak that stretched back to the 2003 season.
Debbie Kiick (224-137, 10 years thru Oct. 19) coaches the Millikin University Big Blue, who went 19-20 last year (2-5, 5th tie CCIW). This year's team (22-5, 5-0 CCIW), ranked 24th in the Oct. 12 American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll, had a school-record 22-match winning streak stopped on Friday with a 3-0 loss to California Lutheran University at the California Lutheran University “Fall Classic.” The Big Blue went 1-3 in the California Lutheran event. Millikin has won three CCIW titles but none since the 1999 season. The Lady Reds lead the series with the Big Blue, which dates to 1986, 25-15.
The Lady Reds, coached by Leanne Ulmer (278-79, .779 winning percentage, 10 years thru Oct. 19, ranked ninth among active NCAA Division III coaches thru the 2009 season), last played on Oct. 12, defeating conference-opponent Illinois Wesleyan University, 3-1, at the Shirk Center in Bloomington, Ill.
On Friday-Saturday, Oct. 22-23, the Lady Reds travel to La Crosse, Wis., for the Wisconsin-La Crosse Tournament at Mitchell Hall. On Friday, Oct. 22, Carthage plays Wisconsin-Superior at 5:30 p.m. and the host-Eagles at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 23, the Lady Reds take on Wisconsin-River Falls at 10:30 a.m. and Luther College at 12:30 p.m.
