Carthage 3, Mount Union 1 (25-18, 22-25, 25-14, 25-21)
Calvin 3, Carthage 2 (25-23, 22-25, 26-24, 16-25, 15-4)
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Carthage women's volleyball team traveled to Michigan on Friday to compete at the 2025 Midwest Invitational hosted by the Calvin Knights. The team opened the night with a 3-1 victory over Mount Union before falling to the hosting Knights in five sets.



VS MOUNT UNION
Carthage opened the evening on the front foot, hitting an impressive .323 in the opening frame. Kristina Manojlovic and Katie Boston led the charge early, each notching key kills during a 7-2 run that put the Firebirds ahead 14-9. A service ace from Hailey Wierzgac and a block from Boston and Emma Crow extended the advantage, and Carthage cruised to a 25-18 win.

The second set saw momentum shift toward the Purple Raiders as Mount Union capitalized on Firebird errors to grab a 15-10 lead. Carthage rallied late behind a pair of kills from Manojlovic and one from Ava Dettwiler, but Mount Union held on 25-22 to even the match at one set apiece.

From there, the Firebirds settled back in, dominating the third frame behind steady passing and efficient hitting. Madilyn Danielson caught fire with four consecutive kills midway through the set, while Dettwiler and Manojlovic added two more as part of a 9-1 run. Carthage hit .235 in the set and closed it out 25-14.

The fourth set proved to be the tightest of the night with seven ties and four lead changes. Manojlovic delivered back-to-back kills to break a 17-17 deadlock, and Danielson added an ace to push the lead to 21-19. Boston and Crow sealed the win at the net with a pair of late blocks as Carthage clinched the match 25-21.

VS CALVIN
Calvin edged out a tight opening set, 25-23, despite a late push from Carthage that included back-to-back kills from Kristina Manojlovic and Hailey Wierzgac. The Firebirds responded with a statement performance in set two, racing to an early 7-2 lead on the strength of two kills from Manojlovic and an ace from Jenna Damon. A mid-set run from Calvin tightened things, but Tessa Davison's pair of aces sealed a 25-22 Carthage victory to even the match.

The third set was a back-and-forth battle, featuring long rallies and late drama. Carthage tied the frame at 23-23 behind a block from Taylor Baratta and Davison, but the Knights took the final two points to win 26-24. The Firebirds once again rose to the challenge in the fourth, using a 10-2 surge to grab control. Cassidy Stahl's ace capped a dominant stretch as Carthage hit .147 in the frame to win 25-16 and force a decisive fifth.

Momentum swung sharply in the finale as Calvin came out firing, hitting .692 in the set while limiting Carthage to just four kills in a 15-4 finish.



COMBINED STATS

• Ava Dettwiler - 23 kills, 52 assists, 28 digs
• Katie Boston - 18 kills, 13 blocks
• Jenna Damon - 55 digs, 14 assists, 3 service aces
• Kristina Manojlovic - 31 kills, 2 service aces, 25 digs, 9 blocks

"The opening match started and we were able to carry it through the set," said Head Coach Leanne Ulmer. "In the second set our serve and pass was inconsistent so we struggled to get the offense going. The next two sets we took control in spite of still struggling on offense but our serving and blocking was strong. In the night cap against the home team Calvin we started slow on offense giving them too many points from our errors. We took set 2 close then were serving to win set 3 and struggled to close it out.  We came out strong serving and defensively! Unfortunately, set 3 got away from us early and they picked up their intensity.  We had contributions from some players who have not seen a lot of action. Taylor Barretta and Tessa Davison stepped up. Back at it tomorrow at Kalamazoo!"




The Firebirds (14-8) return to action on Saturday, Oct. 11 against Kalamazoo at 1 p.m. EST in Kalamazoo, Mich. Carthage women's volleyball returns to Tarble Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 22 as the Firebirds hosts Wheaton (Ill.) at 7 p.m. For more information, visit athletics.carthage.edu.