Carthage vs. Mount St. Joseph Box Score
Carthage vs. Thiel Box Score
Carthage vs. Fontbonne Box Score
The Carthage College men's volleyball team (17-8, 7-0 Midwest-III Conference), ranked third in the March 1 American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll, swept Thiel College (5-17, 2-4 M-III) and Fontbonne University (7-12, 2-4 M-III) by identical 3-0 scores on Saturday, March 5 at the Midwest-III Conference Crossover Tournament II at Carthage's Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis. The Red Men's winning set scores over the Tomcats were 25-19, 25-9 and 25-17, and their winning scores over the Griffins were 25-14, 25-15 and 25-14.
Leading 8-5 in the opening set against Fontbonne, Carthage ran off five-straight points to take a 13-5 lead. Fontbonne got as close as seven points on a couple of occasions before the Red Men pulled away at the end to win by nine, 25-14. In the second set, Carthage broke an 8-8 tie to take a 10-8 lead. The Red Men extended their margin to seven points, 20-13, before going on to win by 10, 25-15. Carthage jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the third-and-final set and cruised to an 11-point decision, 25-14. Randy Hansen (Jr., Oak Lawn, Ill.) led Carthage with 12 kills and a .409 attack percentage and three blocks, while Matt Yanz (Jr., Bolingbrook, Ill./Naperville-Central) had 11 kills and hit. 625 with five blocks. Setter Connor Wexter (Fr., New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) averaged 10.67 assists per set.
In the win over Thiel, Carthage trailed, 18-17, in the first set before scoring four unanswered points to take the lead, for good, 21-18. In the second set, the Red Men jumped out to a 14-3 lead, en route to a 16-point decision, 25-9. The third set was tied at 9-9 before Carthage used an 11-5 run to go up by six points, 20-14. The Red Men went on to win by eight, 25-17. Matt Yanz (Jr., Bolingbrook, Ill./Naperville-Central) led the way with 15 kills and an .882 attack percentage (15-0-17) and three block assists. Randy Hansen (Jr., Oak Lawn, Ill.) and Tom O'Connell (Sr., Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice) each had eight kills, with Hansen collecting a team-high eight digs. Setter Connor Wexter (Fr., New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) averaged 11.00 assists per set, and Tyler Frings (Jr., Hubertus, Wis./Milwaukee-Pius XI) had nine blocks (3 solo, 6 assisted).
Carthage opened tournament play on Friday, March 4 with a 3-0 sweep of the College of Mount St. Joseph (1-10, 0-5 M-III). The Red Men's winning set scores over the Lions were 25-10, 25-9 and 25-13. In the Mount St. Joseph match, Carthage jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the first set, en route to a 15-point decision, 25-10. In the second set, the Red Men opened up a 16-2 lead before cruising to a 16-point victory, 25-9. Leading by five in the third-and-final set, 12-7, Carthage used an 8-2 run to go up by 11, 20-9, and wound up winning by 12 points, 25-13. Pat Barry (Fr., Skokie, Ill./Wilmette-Loyola Academy) led Carthage with 12 kills and a .550 attack percentage (12-1-20), while Matt Yanz (Jr., Bolingbrook, Ill./Naperville-Central) had 11 kills and hit .769 (11-1-13). Setter John Condon (Jr. Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove) had 22 assists and Connor Wexter (Fr., New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) 16 assists. Mike Jebens (Fr., Tinley Park, Ill./Orland Hills-Andrew) led the Red Men in digs with eight.
Carthage plays host to M-III Conference opponent the Milwaukee School of Engineering (10-10, 6-1 M-III) on Wednesday, March 9 in a 7 p.m. match at Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis. On Friday, March 11, the Red Men play host to Quincy University in a 7 p.m. contest, also at Tarble Arena.
