DECATUR, Ill. – The Carthage College Lady Reds overcame a 2-0 deficit to the number-eight team in the nation to win the 2017 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Women's Volleyball Tournament Championship, defeating the top seeded Millikin University Big Blue in five sets, 3-2.
 
The tenth straight win by Carthage moves the Lady Reds to 25-8 on the season, while the Big Blue fall to 28-7. With the championship, the Lady Reds earn the conference's automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship.

"Tonight was a battle!" said head coach Leanne Ulmer after the win.  "Millikin is so talented and has seniors where you want them.  After going down 0-2 we were able to refocus and control set three.  Set four was a battle and unlike set one we held tough and closed out the set.  Set five was a see saw battle that we got the last push on.  This team has grown each match and have become so mentally tough.  We are excited to get the automatic bid to the NCAA's!"
 
The Lady Reds fell behind 4-0 early in the first set, but head coach Leanne Ulmer steadied the ship with an early timeout leading to Carthage tying the match just moments later at 6-6.  The Lady Reds took their first lead of the set at 10-9 and pushed the lead to as many as three on multiple occasions, including 21-18 late in the set.  However, the Big Blue went on a 7-1 run following their final timeout and took the first set, 25-22, to take a 1-0 lead.
 
In the second set, the Lady Reds wouldn't be able to recover as the Big Blue took a commanding, 2-0, lead with a second set, 25-19, win.  With Carthage trailing by one at 11-10, Millikin went on a 5-1 run to go up 16-11 and never look back.  Carthage closed the gap to as little as three before Millikin was able to put the set away.
 
The Lady Reds put together a strong third set to take their first win of the match, 25-17.  Leading 11-10 in the third, Carthage went on a 4-0 run to take a five-point lead behind the serve of Luci Krenzke.  Millikin would get the deficit back down to three but the Lady Reds closed the set on a 10-5 run to win the set and stay alive.
 
With the momentum in the Lady Reds favor, Carthage quickly swung a 3-0 deficit in the fourth to a 10-6 lead.  Carthage would lead for most of the set until the Big Blue were able to tie the match at 18-18.  Carthage then used a 3-0 run to take a 21-18 lead, which was followed a few points later by a Millikin 3-0 run to once again tie things up at 23-23.  After a Rachael Kisten kill, Luci Krenzke laced a serve down the line for an ace to complete the comeback and tie the match at 2-2 with a 25-23 win.
 
In the fifth, it looked as though the Lady Reds were going to cruise, jumping out to a 5-1 lead in the first-to-15 set.  But as they had done a number of times before, the Big Blue came back and following a 7-1 run, the teams switched side with Millikin leading 8-6.  After once again tying the set at 8-8 and an exchange of points, Shannon Kebisek hit a monstrous kill from the back row to tie the fifth set at 11.  With Ellie LeCount serving, the Lady Reds went on a 3-0 run to set up championship point, including an ace that LeCount floated in to go up two.  Leading 14-12, Megan Behrendt connected on her 60^th attack to earn her 18^th kill and give the Lady Reds the championship.
 
Behrendt was named the CCIW Tournament Most Valuable Player as she led Carthage with 18 kills in the match and added 17 digs.  Also named to the all-tournament team were setter Ellie LeCount, whom finished with 47 assists and three aces in the win, and Luci Krenzke, who had a 32 digs.
 
Other notable stats for the Lady Reds included 17 kills from Rachael Kisten, and nine kills and a team-high five blocks from Megan Fallert.
 
The Lady Reds will now wait to see where they are going for the NCAA Championship, which they will learn on Monday during the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Selection Show on Monday, November 6th at 11:30 a.m.  The Selection Show can be seen on NCAA.com.

CCIW All-Tournament Team
Megan Behrendt - Carthage (MVP)
Ellie LeCount - Carthage
Luci Krenzke - Carthage
Alora Goodey - Millikin
Erin Syversen - Millikin
Amy Schryver - Elmhurst
Maddie Williams - Illinois Wesleyan