KENOSHA, WIS.—The #2 Carthage College men's volleyball team hosted #9 Benedictine University in a battle of AVCA Division III Men's Top-10 squads at Tarble Arena on Friday night in front of 562 fans. The Eagles prevailed with a thrilling 3-1 victory over the Red Men, handing them their first loss of the season.
 
Evan Walsh and Matt Slivinski each registered a game-high 16 kills off 40 attack attempts for the Red Men while Matt Reinsel posted a season-high 47 assists. The Red Men had the upper hand in kills 54-50, but Benedictine was more efficient with them as they tallied a .318 hitting percentage on the night. Elijah Medlock paced the Eagles with 13 kills while Nick Malak registered an efficient night with 12 kills and a .345 hitting percentage. Walsh and Sliviniski did what they could in holding Benedictine's offense in check with 10 and nine digs respectively for the Red Men.
 
The Red Men's first loss of the 2019 season gives them a 7-1, 0-0 MCVL record while Benedictine improves to 6-1, 0-0 NACC.
 
Benedictine 3, Red Men 1
 
Five Braeden Waumans kills in the first set wasn't enough to propel the Red Men as they dropped a 25-18 decision to the Eagles.
 
The second set was all Carthage as they capitalized on three service aces and five kills apiece from Walsh and Slivinski in the frame. Six Benedictine errors throughout set two also helped Carthage's cause as they capitalized on a 25-21 victory. 
 
The Red Men led for much of set three before the Eagles kick-started a 3-0 run with the score tied 14-14. It was a lead Benedictine didn't let go of in a 25-21 win. The Red Men jumped to a 6-3 set-four lead, but the Eagles responded with a 14-4 run en route to their largest advantage of the set at 17-10. It was enough cushion to secure a 25-20 set victory.
 
The Red Men will host #15 UC Santa Cruz (11:00 a.m.) and North Park University (4:00 p.m.) tomorrow, Saturday, February 9 at Tarble Arena.