DUBUQUE, Iowa — The No. 3 Carthage College men's volleyball team collected their twelfth victory this season beating Loras 3-0 on Wednesday night in the Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) action.
Carthage (12-0, 8-0 CCIW) started with a 9-4 lead in the first set with a kill from Carter Schmidt. Later, three-straight points for the Firebirds extended the margin to 14-7 as the visitors won the first set 25-17.
A kill from Matt Slivinski in the second put Carthage up 7-5 over Loras (4-5, 3-4 CCIW). The home team rallied tying the set at 13, however, an 8-2 run for the Firebirds saw the score switch to 21-15. A kill from Slivinski and a Loras attack error gave the set to Carthage 25-19.
The Duhawks retaliated tying set three at 13. With the score locked at 16, another 6-3 run for Carthage extended the lead to 23-19. Though Loras shrunk the deficit to three, a final kill from Slivinski gave Carthage the straight-set victory 25-21.
Next up, the Firebirds return home facing No. 13 North Central (Ill.) on Saturday, March 20 starting at 1 p.m.
"Proud of this group for being efficient offensively today and finding some runs to earn points on defense. Zach Bulthuis and Parker Connolly controlled the net again and it was fun to watch.
Loras is a really disciplined group and plays incredible defense. I was happy to see us stay calm and keep the offensive pressure up.
I'm so proud of the volleyball that Matt Slivinski has played this season. A player hitting .640 on the left pin is special, but I'm more impressed by his dedication to be great in all aspects of his game: serve receive, defense and offensive range."
Quick Facts
- Senior Matt Slivinski had a match-high 17 kills and finished with a .640 hitting percentage with only one error.
- Gene McNulty added 31 assists as Carter Schmidt had three aces.
- It is the 11th straight-set victory on the season for the Firebirds and fifth game this season Carthage had a hitting percentage of .400 or more.
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