Carthage 3, MSOE 0

The Carthage College men's volleyball team (9-2, 1-0 Continental Volleyball Conference), ranked first in the Feb. 28 American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll, opened conference play on Tuesday, Feb. 28 with a 3-0 win over the Milwaukee School of Engineering (6-5, 0-1 CVC) at Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis.  The Red Men's winning set scores over the Raiders were 25-18, 25-22 and 25-14.
 
In the first set, Carthage opened up as six-point lead, 10-4, which the Red Men extended to eight points, 17-9.  Carthage cruised to a seven-point decision, 25-18.  The second set was a bit of a struggle.  After Carthage opened up a six-point lead, 15-9, MSOE came back with an 11-5 run to tie the set, 20-20.  Following ties at 21-21 and 22-22, the Red Men ran off the final three points to win by three, 25-22.  Carthage went up by six in the third-and-final set, 11-5.  The Raiders closed to within three, 14-11, but the Red Men closed out the set on an 11-3 run to claim the win, 25-14.
 
Carthage hit .395 as a team.  Randy Hansen (Sr., Oak Lawn, Ill.) led the Red Men with 13 kills and a .429 attack percentage, along with two block assists.  Matt Yanz (Sr., Bolingbrook, Ill./Naperville-Central) collected eight kills with no errors in 10 attempts for an .800 attack percentage, along with a block solo and three block assists.  Pat Barry (So., Skokie, Ill./Wilmette-Loyola Academy) also had eight kills with a block solo and five block assists.  Setter Connor Wexter (So., New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) averaged 11.0 assists per set.  Nick Manning topped MSOE with nine kills and hit .263.
 
Carthage travels to St. Louis, Mo., on Saturday-Sunday, March 3-4 for the Continental Volleyball Conference Weekend I Tournament at Fontbonne University's Maybee Gymnasium.  The Red Men play No. 3 California-Santa Cruz on Saturday, March 3 at 3 p.m., followed by Sunday, March 4 matches against the College of Mount St. Joseph at 11 a.m. and the host-Griffins at 1 p.m.