ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — For the third consecutive game, the eighth-ranked Carthage men's volleyball team picked up a victory in straight sets, defeating Augustana 3-0 on Saturday in the Roy J. Carver Center.
It was a battle to open up the match, as the two teams were tied at five-apiece early in the first set. After the Vikings (5-7, 1-1 CCIW) took a 6-5 lead, the Firebirds (6-3, 2-0 CCIW) scored three-unanswered to reclaim a lead they would hold through the remainder of the set. Up 21-18, a service error by the home team put the ball in the hands of Peyton Wieter, who responded with an ace, before posting the clinching kill moments later to give Carthage a 25-18 victory.
Augustana would keep it close to begin the second set once again, before Carthage finished on a 17-5 run, as another service error from the Vikings was met with an ensuing ace by the Firebirds to begin the run. Keegan Brumitt would post three of the final four kills to clinch the second set for Carthage, 25-11.
The Firebirds controlled much of the third set, as a big block from David Markes and Kyle Radecki made it 11-8. While the home team got within three on two occasions late in the set, Carthage would close it out with a seven-point third-set win, 25-18 to remain undefeated in their two conference games.
The Firebirds return to Tarble Arena next, as they host North Park on Wednesday, February 23 at 7 p.m.
"This was a big team-win for us on the road in CCIW conference play. I loved our response in set two after a little slow start in set one. Our service pressure was really good all day and it led to some easy transition points for us. I thought Keegan Brumitt, Andrew Otto and Nick Cookingham were big sparks for us off the bench. Keegan was super efficient with an offensive mindset. Andrew did a great job with his blocking moves to slow down Augie. Nick did a great job of spreading the ball around and keeping the offense balanced. I am proud of this group and how committed we are to playing together as one."
Quick Facts
- Carthage is now 6-0 all-time versus Augustana, winning each match in straight sets.
- With seven kills today, Matt Slivinski now has 961 in his career, moving him up to third in program history for career kills.
- Nick Cookingham had a career-best 24 assists today.
- With four service aces today, Peyton Wieter set a new career-high, adding six kills and three digs.
- Kyle Cohan posted double-digits in digs for the fifth match this season, with 11 today.
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