KENOSHA, Wis. – The Carthage College women's volleyball team (6-5) took to the court at Tarble Arena for the second day of the 2016 Carthage College Volleyball Invitational on Saturday, September 17^th.
 
For their first match of the day, the Lady Reds took on Concordia University (Wis.) at Noon. Carthage took a large 8-3 lead to star the set and held the lead for the reminder of the set. Although the Falcons attempted to take the lead a few times, the Lady Reds were too much as they won the first set 25-22.
 
The momentum quickly changed in the second set as the Falcons took a commanding 7-2 lead to start the set. A short wile later, Carthage found themselves on the short side of a 21-9 lead by Concordia. The Lady Reds weren't willing to give up just yet as they mounted an incredible comeback to win the second set 26-24.
 
The Falcons came back with a chip on their shoulders in the third set. Despite the lead changing multiple times, Concordia was able to win the set 25-20 over the Lady Reds.
 
Both teams came out swinging in the fourth set as it was a last chance for Concordia to have a chance at willing the match. The score remained close throughout the match. However, it was Carthage on the winning end with a 25-21 win in the fourth set which secured them a 3-1 win over Concordia (Wis.).
 
As a team, the Lady Reds recorded 52 kills, four service aces, six blocks, 48 assists, 77 digs, and hit .159. Shannon Kebisek led the team with 13 total kills, accompanied by Stephanie Korbakes and Stefanie Romanowski with 11 apiece. Romanowski also collected five blocks in the four-set match. Abigail McGowan made 45 assists and Luci Krenzke connected on 25 digs.
 
The Lady Reds faced a much more difficult team in the Maroons of the University of Chicago in the 4 p.m. match. A close game ensued in the first set as neither team took a commanding lead at any point in the set. Chicago eventually pulled away with a 25-23 win over the Lady Reds.
 
Carthage showed their resilience in the second set. Much like the first set, neither team was able to break away at any point in the set. Carthage won the second set 25-22, evening the score to 1-1 in the match.
 
Unfortunately, the Lady Reds would not have the same luck in the third and fourth sets as the Maroons would take the final two set 25-18, earning a 3-1 win.
 
Carthage finished the match with a total of 46 kills, five service aces, four blocks, 39 assists, 87 digs, and a hitting percentage of .110. Shannon Kebisek once again led the Lady Reds in kills with 12. Kebisek also recorded two service aces, accompanied by Abigail McGowan and Luci Krenzke with one apiece. Anna Kinell, Rachel Mickey, and Stefanie Romanowski each made two blocks in the match. McGowan recorded 32 assists and Luci Krenzke tallied 23 digs.
 
"All in all, a pretty good weekend," said head coach Leanne Ulmer in reference to the entire invitational. "Chicago came out very strong against us and we felt like we were down in every set. The first two were really close. We made a great comeback in set two, we made a few really great comebacks today. We just have to stop getting behind. We need to play from ahead instead of behind. But, we had some good performances. I thought our middles played really well in the first match. In the second match, I think some of our freshman, including Shannon Kebisek, did a nice job for us all day today. "We'll keep working and we'll keep growing. We open up in the CCIW this week so we will be back in practice on Monday and ready to go and see if we can get our first conference win."
 
Following the invitational, the following student-athletes were named to the Carthage College Invitational All-Tournament Team: Sarah Muisenga (Chicago), Audrey Scafford (Chicago), Erin Risk (Chicago), Shannon Kebisek (Carthage), Stefanie Romanowski (Carthage), Rosalyn Wise (Dominican), and Megan Jehlicka (Concordia).
 
The Lady Reds return to play on Wednesday, September 21^st in Rock Island, Ill. as they take on Augustana College in their first CCIW match of the season at 7 p.m.
 
"We'll keep working and we'll keep growing," said Ulmer. "We open up in the CCIW this week so we will be back in practice on Monday and ready to go and see if we can get our first conference win."