Click on the Arrow on the Photo For Full Press Conference


KENOSHA, WIS.—The #1 seed Carthage College men's volleyball team took a 16-match win streak and eight-straight 3-0 victories into Saturday's Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League Tournament Championship Game against #2 seed Fontbonne University at Tarble Arena. The Red Men couldn't grab their fourth MCVL Tournament crown as the Griffins from Fontbonne University came back from a 2-1 match deficit and notched their first MCVL title in school history with a 3-2 thriller over the Red Men in front of 732 fans at Tarble Arena.
 
The Red Men out-gunned the Griffins in most statistical categories that included attacking percentage (.168 - .128), assists (57-52) and kills (60-52). Four Carthage players eclipsed 10+ digs, led by Braeden Waumans and Evan Walsh's 15 apiece. It was Waumans who came through with a team-leading .278 hitting mark along with four service aces, while Walsh finished second on the team with 17 digs. Matt Slivinski also had a stellar outing for the Red Men with 14 kills and five blocks, while Winter rounded out the notable Red Men offensive juggernauts with 10 kills and five blocks.  Blake Arnold commanded the Carthage defense with a career-high 18 digs. Matt Reinsel posted 53 assists for the Red Men. 
 
Mark Klusman was all over the stat sheet for Fontbonne as he paced his squad with 12 kills, two service aces and 15 digs.
 
The Red Men fall to 23-2 while Fontbonne earns the 2019 MCVL Tournament Automatic Qualifer into the 2019 NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Tournament and improves to 25-2. Carthage will await their selection for a Pool C at-large bid on the 2019 NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Selection Show set for Monday, April 15 at 10:00 a.m. (ET) on ncaa.com.
 
Fontbonne 3, Red Men 2
 
Carthage led from start-to-finish in dominating fashion throughout set one, where they notched 13 kills in a 25-14 victory. Waumans was dominant in the frame with four kills and a pair of service aces, while Walsh tallied five kills. Set two featured three lead changes, where Fontbonne's 3-0 run down 12-11 gave them the advantage for good at 14-12 where they secured a 25-23 victory. The third set was all Slivinski, who amassed five kills in the frame that saw Carthage grab their first lead at 18-17, where they didn't look back in a 25-20 decision.
 
Down 20-15 in the fourth set, Carthage burned a timeout that paid dividends as they went on a 6-1 run to tie the Griffins 21-21. It was Fontbonne that closed the frame with a 4-1 run en route to a 25-22 win. That late set-four run was the momentum Fontbonne used in set five as they led from start-to-finish to secure a 15-8 win and 3-2 match victory.