Millikin 3, Carthage 1
DECATUR, Ill. - The Carthage women's volleyball team saw its season come to an end Tuesday night, falling to Millikin in four sets in the opening round of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Women's Volleyball Tournament at Griswold P.E. Center. The Firebirds dropped a 27-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-17 decision to the Big Blue, finishing the season with a 16-13 overall record.
Carthage and Millikin traded the opening two sets before the Big Blue took control in the third and fourth frames to secure the victory. The Firebirds finished with 32 kills, 10 service aces and nine total blocks while hitting .045 as a team. Millikin recorded 48 kills, 12 service aces and 12 blocks while hitting .123.
Set 1: Carthage came up short in a tightly contested opening set, falling 27-25. The Firebirds jumped out to an early 4-0 advantage behind a service ace from
Ava Dettwiler and a kill from
Macy Wente. Millikin battled back to even the score at 9-9 before taking a 10-9 lead. Carthage responded with a strong stretch, using kills from
Emma Crow to build a 15-11 advantage. The Firebirds maintained their lead through the middle of the set, eventually moving ahead 22-18. Millikin rallied to tie the score at 23-23, and the teams traded points to reach 25-25. The Big Blue recorded the final two points to take the opening set, 27-25.
Set 2: The Firebirds responded with a 25-23 victory to even the match. Millikin opened with a 2-0 lead before Carthage battled back to tie the score at 3-3. The teams continued to trade points early before the Firebirds used a three-point run, highlighted by a service ace from
Elise Webster, to take a 10-7 advantage. Carthage continued to apply pressure, building its lead to 18-14 following a pair of kills from Dettwiler. Millikin worked its way back into the set, eventually cutting the deficit to one at 21-20. The Firebirds answered with blocks from
Hailey Wierzgac,
Tessa Davison, Manojlovic, and
Taylor Baratta to regain control. Carthage reached set point at 24-21 before the Big Blue scored twice to pull within one. An attack error by Millikin's Maggye Smith gave the Firebirds the final point and a 25-23 win.
Set 3: Millikin regained the lead in the match with a 25-22 victory. The Big Blue opened the set with a 4-0 run and continued to hold the advantage through the early stages. Carthage began to chip away, with kills from Manojlovic and Dettwiler helping the Firebirds pull within one at 14-13. Millikin responded with a scoring run to extend its lead to 19-13. Carthage continued to battle, getting within five at 22-17 before Davison recorded back-to-back service aces as the Firebirds pulled within one at 22-21. Millikin answered with two points to reach set point before a kill from Smith secured the 25-22 victory.
Set 4: Millikin closed out the match with a 25-17 win. The Big Blue jumped out to an early 4-0 advantage and continued to build its lead throughout the set. Carthage responded with kills from Manojlovic and Wierzgac, but Millikin extended its advantage to 15-8. The Big Blue continued to apply pressure, moving ahead 21-10 late in the set. The Firebirds battled back with a kill from Dettwiler and a service ace from Manojlovic to cut the deficit to 23-13. Carthage added another point on a block by
Sofia Campos and
Sydney Horacek before a kill from Davison brought the Firebirds within seven at 24-17. Millikin recorded the final point to secure the 25-17 victory and advance in the tournament.
Carthage finished with 32 kills, 10 service aces, nine total blocks and 64 digs while hitting .045 as a team. Millikin recorded 48 kills, 12 service aces, 12 total blocks and 63 digs while hitting .123.
Manojlovic led the Firebirds with 11 kills and 12 digs while adding four service aces. Dettwiler contributed nine kills, 16 assists and nine digs, while Wierzgac finished with four kills and four block assists. Walsh added 11 assists and 10 digs, while Reichert also recorded 10 digs. Davison contributed two service aces, while Baratta finished with three block assists.
"So proud of the fight this team showed on the road," said Head Coach Leanne Ulmer. "Losing the first set 27-25 was a gut punch after being up 19-13. But then to find a way to win the second set 25-23 was encouraging. We just struggled to create enough offense to sustain the winning edge. It's always tough when your season comes to an end. But, I am very proud of how they stuck together! We have a fairly young team and some strong recruits excited to join the Firebirds next Fall. We are so proud of our seniors Tina Manojlovic and Ava McTeague. Tina had so many accolades and was our go-to offensively. She is an impressive player! Ava battled injuries for most of her career. So, it was great to see her get the chance to lead and contribute on the floor this year!"
The Firebirds season has come to an end with a record of 16-13 and a CCIW record of 4-4. Carthage women's volleyball will return to Tarble Arena in fall 2027. For more information, visit athletics.carthage.edu.
