LISLE, Ill. – The Carthage College men's volleyball team battled through illness all week leading up to the match, including having to leave five players at home, but kept battling and eventually the #4 Red Men defeated the #9 Benedictine University Eagles in five sets, 3-2.
 
The win moves the Red Men to 5-0 on the season and to 3-0 against top-15 teams so far this year, while the Eagles fall to 3-2 following the loss.
 
 "We overcame a lot this week to win this match," said head coach L.J. Marx following the win.  "Benedictine is a great team and this was a very entertaining match.   I am really proud of the guys for coming together to get this one."
 
The Red Men were outhit by the Eagles over the five-set match, .221 to .213, and committed five more attack errors in the match, but the Red Men rattled off a season-high 19 service aces to help their own cause.  Braeden Waumans, who had four aces on the season, set a career-high with seven aces.  Wauman's was also one of three players with ten-or-more kills, finishing with ten, behind Max Bongratz with 13 and Evan Walsh with a career-high 15 kills.  Bongratz and Walsh, along with Kelvin Rivera each had three service aces as well.
 
Matt Reinsel played a solid match in the win, as the junior setter recorded 48 assists and a pair of aces, and Kai Cromwell, who filled in at libero due to illness, also set a career-high with 14 digs.  Bryce Thomas also recorded his first career ace in his second appearance for the Red Men.
 
 The Red Men will return to action at Tarble Arena this weekend with a pair of matches during the Carthage College triangular on Saturday.  Carthage will open the day against the #3 University of California Santa-Cruz at 1:00 p.m. and will conclude the day with Concordia University Wisconsin at 5:00 p.m.  UC-Santa Cruz and Concordia will play at 3:00 p.m.