KENOSHA, WIS. — In a thrilling five set match, the No. 1 seed Carthage College women's volleyball team defeated No. 3 seed Millikin in the finals of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Women's Volleyball Tournament Saturday evening at Tarble Arena. The victory marked the 13th tournament title in program history and first since 2017. 

Millikin (22-13) jumped out on Carthage (27-3) to start the first set with a quick 11-5 lead. The Lady Reds battled back to make the score 17-15 before two Carthage errors pushed the score to 19-15. The Big Blue eventually took the first set 25-21. The Lady Reds rallied in the second set starting with a fast 12-5 lead. Carthage ended the set with a 13-5 run to tie the match at one. Millikin held a slim 10-7 advantage to start set three until the Lady Reds retaliated to knot the set at 13 with back-to-back kills from Haley Horner and Shannon Kebisek. A late push for Carthage came up short as the Big Blue took the set 25-22. The back-and-forth effort continued in the fourth with the score locked at seven until the Lady Reds put in an 18-4 run to force a fifth set. Carthage held a 10-8 margin to begin the fifth. The Lady Reds added back-to-back kills from Nicole Acton and Kebisek to make the score to 13-10. A final kill from Megan Behrendt sealed the match for Carthage 15-12. 

The Lady Reds claim the CCIW automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament. The NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship bracket will be announced on Monday, November 11 at 12:30 p.m. EST.

All-Tournament Team
Grace Bialobok - Augustana
Megan Behrendt - Carthage (MVP)
Shannon Kebisek - Carthage
Ellie LeCount - Carthage 
Jessica McCall - Illinois Wesleyan
Marissa McElroy - Millikin
Rose Syversen - Millikin

Head Coach Leanne Ulmer

"What an exciting match and an electric atmosphere, our crowd was a force! The players could feel the support and I know they wanted to finish strong for them. Millikin played their hearts out and kept us off balance, in the sets we lost we struggled with the serve and pass game. The sets we won were definitive and crisp. That was the first time we played a fifth set this year and it was a battle. I am so proud of our resolve and so much of the credit goes to the seniors. They have been rock solid and great leaders all season. Winning the conference is always a goal and winning the CCIW Tournament to guarantee we will play in the NCAA Tournament is the cherry on top! This is an awesome program win and we are so excited to see where we go next. It will be an honor to represent the CCIW in the NCAA Championships!   

Quick Facts

• The Lady Reds defense held the Millikin offense to a .068 hitting percentage. 
• Carthage had 54 kills in the match while three Lady Reds finished with double-digit kills: Megan Behrendt (15), Haley Horner (11), Shannon Kebisek (11). 
• Ellie LeCount registered 42 assists on the day marking the eighth time this season she has collected 40 or more assists. 
• The conference title is the program's 11th under head coach Leanne Ulmer.
• With Millikin's two set wins tonight, Carthage has only conceded three sets in CCIW play on the year.  

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