KENOSHA, Wis. — Meeting for the second time this season, the No. 3 Carthage College men's volleyball team beat No. 13 North Central (Ill.) in straight sets 3-0 on Saturday afternoon in the Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) action.
It was a back-and-forth effort to start as Carthage (13-0, 9-0 CCIW) held a 13-9 advantage with an ace from Carter Schmidt. North Central (Ill.) (8-3, 5-3 CCIW) got it to one with a Firebirds attack error however, an ace from Blake Arnold put the home team up 17-14. Though the Cardinals got it to two, a 6-2 run closed out the set for Carthage 25-19.
North Central (Ill.) jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the second until the Firebirds battled back to get within one with a block from Parker Connolly and Gene McNulty. Three-straight points for Carthage saw the set draw even at 17 however, the visitors regained the lead 22-20. Though North Central (Ill.) went up one at 24-23, a Cardinals service error, a kill from Carter Schmidt, and a Cardinals attack error put the Firebirds up two sets 26-24.
The back-and-forth effort continued in the third with the score tied at 7. Though North Central (Ill.) went up four at 16-12, a 9-1 run for Carthage changed the score to 21-17. The Firebirds closed out the match with a 4-1 run to win 25-18.
Carthage stays at home playing No. 6 Benedictine on Wednesday, March 24 at 7 p.m.
Quick Facts
- Matt Slivinski had 19 kills in the match while Zach Bulthuis had five total blocks.
- Freshman Gene McNulty recorded 34 assists.
- Carter Schmidt hit .429 finishing the match with 12 kills off 21 attacks.
- It marks the ninth straight CCIW victory for the Firebirds on the season and the 12th straight-set victory this season.
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