PLYMOUTH — The No. 2 Carthage College men's volleyball team opened the 2026 season with a straight-set victory over Lakeland, shaking off early rust to secure the win 3-0.

• Final Score: Carthage 3 - Lakeland 0 (29-27, 25-15, 25-19)
• Location: Plymouth, Wisconsin - Moose and Dona Woltzen Gymnasium
• Records: Carthage 1-0, Lakeland 1-2

• The opening set featured extended back-and-forth play before Lakeland edged ahead 10-8 following a Carthage service error.
•  Ryan Bartz recorded a kill late in the set to cut the deficit to 21-16.
• Carthage responded with a 7-1 run, capped by a kill from Ruben Emmerich, to even the score at 23.
• The teams continued to trade points down the stretch until a Lakeland attack error and a miscue on a set secured the 29-27 win for Carthage.
• Lakeland built an early 10-6 lead in the second set, but five unanswered points from the Firebirds swung the momentum, highlighted by a Bartz ace.
• Justin Ische followed with a kill to extend the advantage to 17-13.
• Xzavion Willet closed the set with a kill as Carthage took the second frame 25-15.
• In the third set, a kill from Ryan Monahan and an ace by Joe Kolwicz put Carthage ahead by four.
• Monahan added two more kills, and Kolwicz delivered another ace to push the lead to 21-13.
• Devon O'Callaghan sealed the match with a final kill, completing the sweep with a 25-19 decision.

• Ben Heise had a match-high 10 kills. 
• Ryan Monahan, in his Firebird debut for Carthage,  added eight kills, and Ryan Bartz recorded five. 
• Joe Kolwicz recorded 35 assists and six digs, along with Devon O'Callaghan, who also had six digs.

"I'm really proud of our fight tonight and how much better we got as the match progressed," said head coach JW Kieckhefer. "We came out with just too many errors and needed to shake off the rust of missing match play.

Ben Heise, Ruben Emmerich, and Joe Kolwicz did a great job leading this group through a tough start and never stopped believing in their group. Ryan Kelly gave us a massive lift with his service pressure in set one. After his run, we never looked back.

 Justin Ische, Devon O'Callaghan, Ryan Bartz, and Ryan Monahan were elite in serve reception today. They were able to get our offense in some really good spots to be terminal. 

We are so excited for our home opener on Thursday at 7 p.m.! This is going to be a really competitive match, and we need everyone to show up to help us DEFEND TARBLE!"

• Carthage returns for their home opener against Benedictine (Ill.) on Thursday, January 15 at 7 p.m.