Box Score
The Carthage College men's volleyball team (18-8, 8-0 Midwest-III Volleyball Conference), ranked third in the March 8 American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll, clinched the regular-season Midwest-III Volleyball Conference title on Wednesday, March 9 with a 3-1 win over the Milwaukee School of Engineering (10-11, 6-2 M-III) at Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis.
Carthage's winning set scores over MSOE were 25-17, 19-25, 25-23 and 25-14. With the win, Carthage will have the top seed in the April 1-2 M-III Conference Tournament at Thiel College in Greenville, Pa.
Carthage opened a 15-9 lead in the first set. The Red Men made it a seven-point set, 20-13, and went on to win by eight, 25-17. MSOE took charge of the second set in the early going. The Red Men took their first lead, 14-13. With the Raiders leading by one, 18-17, MSOE ran off five-straight points to a take 23-17 lead en route to a 25-19 decision. In a hard-fought third set, the Raiders took a 12-8 lead and still led by four, 20-16. Carthage knotted things up at 20-20, took a 23-20 lead and won by two, 25-23. The Red Men opened up a 17-9 lead in the fourth-and-final set. Carthage extended its margin to 10 points, 23-13, and cruised to a nine-point victory, 25-14.
Tom O'Connell (Sr., Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice) led the Red Men with 16 kills and a .462 attack percentage with five block assists. Matt Yanz (Jr., Bolingbrook, Ill./Naperville-Central), this week's AVCA/Sports Imports NCAA Division III “Player of the Week,” had 12 kills and hit .733. Randy Hansen (Jr., Oak Lawn, Ill.) had 11 kills with a .429 mark, 10 digs and four block assists, with Jim Schultz (Fr., Salem, Wis./Westosha Central) also collecting 11 kills. Tyler Frings (Jr., Hubertus, Wis./Milwaukee-Pius XI) had seven kills, one block solo and nine block assists. Setter Connor Wexter (Fr., New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) averaged 12.25 assists per set.
Carthage plays host to Quincy University (14-8) on Friday, March 11 in a 7 p.m. contest, also at Tarble Arena.
