RV Carthage 3, Augustana (Ill.) 0 (25-25, 25-8, 25-17)
KENOSHA, Wis. - The Carthage women's volleyball team opened CCIW play in convincing fashion on Friday night, sweeping Augustana (Ill.) inside Tarble Arena. The Firebirds extended their win streak to six matches and improved to 9-1 overall, 1-0 in the conference, behind a balanced offensive attack and a strong defensive showing. The Firebirds are off to their best start since the 2020-21 season when the Firebirds went 10-2 in the shortened spring season.



Carthage set the tone early in the first set, racing out to a 9-1 lead thanks to back-to-back aces from Jenna Damon and a string of kills from Kristina Manojlovic. Augustana responded with a small run midway through, but the Firebirds kept their foot on the gas, closing the frame 25-15 on a block from Hailey Wierzgac and Ava Dettwiler. Carthage hit .333 in the set with 14 kills while limiting the Vikings to just seven.

The second set saw the Firebirds at their most dominant, as Dettwiler directed the offense to a blistering .484 hitting percentage. Manojlovic tallied five kills in the frame while Dettwiler and Emma Crow combined for five more, fueling a 12-1 run that ballooned the lead to 18-5. Carthage cruised the rest of the way for a 25-8 win.

The Vikings showed some resilience in the third, keeping things close until Carthage broke free with a 6-1 spurt to move ahead 19-13. Kills from Madilyn Danielson and Crow pushed the Firebirds to match point, and Dettwiler sealed the sweep with her eighth kill of the night for a 25-17 finish.


 

• Kristina Manojlovic – 14 kills, .636 hitting, 5 digs
• Ava Dettwiler – 8 kills, 21 assists, 11 digs, 3 blocks
• Madilyn Danielson – 9 kills, 13 digs
• Jenna Damon – 21 digs, 2 service aces
• Emma Crow – 7 kills, 2 blocks

The Firebirds (9-1) return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 24 as the squad travels to Naperville, Ill. for a CCIW contest against North Central (Ill.) at 7 p.m. For more information, visit athletics.carthage.edu.