ROCK ISLAND — The No. 4 Carthage College men's volleyball team picked up another conference sweep on Saturday defeating Augustana (Ill.) 3-0.
- Final Score: Carthage 3 - Augustana (Ill.) 0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-20)
- Location: Rock Island, Illinois - Carver PE Center
- Records: No. 4 Carthage 15-2 (5-0 CCIW), Augustana (Ill.) 10-9 (0-5 CCIW)
- Ben Heise's kill brought Carthage within two points at 6-4 in the opening set.
- The Firebirds continued to battle, as a block from Heise and Hudson Sweitzer cut the deficit to 12-9.
- Augustana (Ill.) maintained a slight edge, leading 16-14, but a service ace from Heise helped Carthage take control late.
- Ryan Cholewinski delivered a key kill, and Erik Stover sealed the set with another as the Firebirds won 25-21.
- In the second set, Cholewinski and Sweitzer recorded back-to-back kills to even the score at nine.
- Carthage pulled ahead at 19-17 after a kill from Owen Otto, forcing an Augustana timeout.
- The Firebirds kept up the pressure, as Otto's ace extended the lead to 23-19 before Cholewinski closed out the set with another for a 25-22 victory.
- Otto sparked Carthage in the third set with an early kill, but Augustana held a 16-14 advantage midway through.
- Out of a timeout, the Firebirds surged ahead, with Sweitzer and Heise combining for crucial kills to take a 23-18 lead.
- Stover put the match away with a final kill, securing a 25-20 set win and a 3-0 sweep.
"I am really proud of this group. Another long day on the bus and we fought together as a unit. Being 5-0 with the first half of conference play behind us shows how hard this group works every single day to get better. There are still so many things we can clean up as a team, but I am proud of the resilience and trust in each other they display in every match. Getting to see
Erik Stover,
Austin Mallory and Devon OCallaghan play consistent minutes for the first time all year was fun. They each did a fantastic job as finding ways to impact the match.
Ryan Morey had another good day finding the right hitter at the right time.
Owen Otto stepped up big time today to take tough swings, his consistent play has been monumental for this group. Im am so incredibly proud of this group. Each one of them has left such a profound impact on this program and each other. We get three days off for spring break to reset and recharge. Then we go back to the gym and continue to find ways to improve! I am excited for the last month and a half of the year."
- Carthage returns to the court on Saturday, March 15 taking on Aurora at 2 p.m.
