KENOSHA, Wis. — The Carthage College men's volleyball team begins the NCAA Tournament Friday, April 21, in a rematch against UC Santa Cruz at 6:30 p.m. inside Gregory Arena in Naperville, Illinois. 

The No. 8 ranked volleyball squad come into the tournament with a 17-7 record and an 8-2 record in conference play. The Firebirds' offense holds the No. 10 spot nationally in hitting percentage (.298) and the No. 12 position in blocks per set (2.12). 

Individually, senior Zach Bulthuis holds the third-best hitting percentage in the country (.468). Gene McNulty and David Markes round out the top 20 rankings for the Firebirds in the assists per set (9.46) and hitting percentage (.375), respectively. 

Bulthuis, Markes, and Carter Schmidt were all named to this year's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) West all-region list for the second season. 

Schmidt led the team in kills with 178 and led the team in aces with 24. This season, Schmidt was a three-time College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Hitter of the Week award winner. McNulty was named Setter of the Week on March 20. Bulthuis collected Defensive Player of the Week on February 6 and Hitter of the Week on February 20. 

Looking ahead to their opponent, Carthage holds a 10-6 all-time record against UC Santa Cruz. The Firebirds recently defeated the Banana Slugs 3-2 at home on February 2. The bid in the tournament is the third-straight appearance under head coach JW Kieckhefer who has won 21 out of 24 sets in the tournament, dating back to 2020.