Mike Tripp/Sideline Media

Box Score

Benedictine (IL) BenU 16-4,11-0 NACC

Carthage CARTH 23-0,11-0 CCIW

Benedictine (IL) BenU

16-4,11-0 NACC

Final

Apr. 24, 2021

Carthage CARTH

23-0,11-0 CCIW

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	5	F
Benedictine (IL) BenU	25	17	25	24	10	(2)
Carthage CARTH	23	25	20	26	15	(3)

Game Recap: #6 Men's Volleyball | 4/24/2021 8:27:00 PM

Men’s Volleyball Wins Carthage’s First-Ever Team National Championship

SALEM, Va. — The Carthage College men's volleyball team defeated Benedictine in five sets 3-2 to win the program's first national championship on Saturday at the Salem Civic Center.

With the score tied at six in the first set, back-to-back kills from Carter Schmidt and Matt Slivinski put the Firebirds (23-0) out in front 8-6 until the No. 7 seed Benedictine (16-4) tied it at eight. After the game was even at 12, Carthage regained the lead with a kill from Slivinski and a block from Gene McNulty. A kill from Schmidt pushed the lead to 17-15, however, the Eagles tied it at 17. A kill from Schmidt made it 22-21, but Benedictine went out in front with a Firebirds attack error as they took the first set 25-23 with a final Eagles kill.

In set two, Parker Connolly gave the Firebirds the lead early with a kill making it 5-4. Back-to-back kills from Schmidt and Zach Bulthuis widened the gap to 9-5. Carthage then used a 10-7 run to control the game with an Eagles attack error. After the Firebirds went up 20-14, Bryce Thomas made it 23-14 with a kill as Carthage won the set with another Eagles attack error 25-17.

Benedictine went up 12-8 to begin the third forcing a Carthage timeout. The Firebirds got within four with a kill from Slivinski but the Eagles got the point back with a kill of their own made it 16-11. A kill from Benedictine moved it to 17-12. Later, a kill from Thomas and an ace from Bulthuis cut the margin to four at 20-16. Benedictine added a kill making it 23-18 and took the set 25-20.

In the third, Carthage went up 7-4 with a kill from Connolly and a block from Schmidt, however, the Eagles got within two with a kill. Benedictine battled back to tie it at 13 with a kill and later took the lead with a Firebirds attack error, going up 15-14. Out of the media timeout, Carthage rallied, tying it at 17. With the score even at 20, a kill from Connolly put the Firebirds up one. With the score locked at 23, a kill from Bulthuis put Carthage up one but a kill from Benedictine tied it at 24. A kill from Bulthuis and a strong block from the combination of Slivinski and Bulthuis forced a fifth set after a score of 26-24.

In the final set, Carthage started with a 4-1 advantage following an Eagles attack error. Carthage went ahead 8-4 on a kill from Bulthuis, however, Benedictine got within two with an ace. Slivinski added a kill, putting the Firebirds up 11-8 before another strike by Schmidt made it 13-8 for Carthage. A kill from Slivinski and a final shot by Schmidt gave the Firebirds the victory 15-10.

Post Game Interview

Quick Facts

This marks the first-ever team NCAA National Championship since Carthage began competing in athletics in 1895, 126 years ago.
Matt Slivinski led the Firebirds in kills with 22 while Zach Bulthuis and Carter Schmidt each added 17.
The 17 kills for Bulthuis was a new career-high as Gene McNulty notched a new career-high in assists with 61.
Matt Slivinski was named MVP for the tournament.

You can keep up with Carthage Athletics by following us on Facebook at facebook.com/carthageathletics, Twitter by following @CarthageSports, and on Instagram by following @CarthageAthletics.

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