No. 7 Illinois Wesleyan 3, Carthage 1 (25-20, 25-15, 23-25, 25-14)
KENOSHA, Wis. - The Carthage women's volleyball team returned to Tarble Arena on Wednesday night for a top-10 showdown with No. 7 Illinois Wesleyan. Despite a strong third-set push to extend the match, the Firebirds came up short, falling 3–1 in the CCIW matchup.
The Titans took control early, using a 12–4 run midway through the opening frame to pull away for a 25–20 win. The Firebirds found some rhythm late behind kills from Emma Crow and
Kristina Manojlovic, but the deficit proved too much to overcome.
Illinois Wesleyan carried that momentum into set two, racing out to a 10–3 lead on the strength of multiple kills from Taylor French and Cailin Shannon. Carthage responded with points from Katie Boston and Manojlovic, but the Titans' efficient .204 hitting percentage in the set helped them cruise to a 25–15 victory and a 2–0 match lead.
Carthage came alive in the third behind a balanced attack and improved defense. Ava Dettwiler's service ace sparked a 7–1 Firebird run early, and
Madilyn Danielson and Manojlovic combined for several key kills down the stretch. After 15 ties in the frame, Boston and
Hailey Wierzgac teamed up for a late block to give Carthage set point, and Boston closed it out with a kill to seal the 25–23 win.
The Titans regrouped in the fourth, jumping ahead 10–3 and never looking back. French capped her standout night with back-to-back service aces as Illinois Wesleyan wrapped up the match with a 25–14 decision.
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"We struggled a bit in the passing game in sets one and two and that made our offense predictable," said Head Coach
Leanne Ulmer. "We had 4 blocks in the first set but struggled to get our offense going. Set three we did much better, got a lead and were able to seal the deal. We started set four with a lead but struggled to get the offense on track and the Titans turned up the heat with their offense.
Jenna Damon dug a lot of shots tonight and kept us in the rallies. We need to regroup and get ready for 3 matches this weekend in Michigan!"
The Firebirds (13-7) return to action on Friday, Oct. 10 against Mount Union at 4:30 p.m. EST and Calvin at 7 p.m. EST. 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.
