KENOSHA — The top-ranked Carthage men's volleyball team overcame an early deficit and a fourth-set setback to defeat North Central (Ill.) in a five-set battle, 3-2 Thursday night inside Tarble Arena.

• Final Score: No. 1 Carthage 3 - North Central (Ill.) 2 (19-25, 25-21, 25-17, 23-25, 15-12)
• Location: Kenosha, Wisconsin - Tarble Arena
• Records: No. 1 Carthage 16-2 (5-0 CCIW), North Central (Ill.) 9-8 (3-3 CCIW)

• North Central (Ill.) controlled the latter portion of the opening set, turning a tight contest into a 25-19 win behind a late scoring run. 
• Carthage answered in the second set, using a pivotal stretch midway through to flip a one-point deficit into a multi-point advantage with aces from Owen Hendricks. 
• Strong play at the net helped the Firebirds create separation before closing the set at 25-21.
• The Firebirds seized momentum early in the third set. Carthage raced out to a 5-0 lead behind a pair of aces from Ryan Bartz and capitalized on multiple attacking errors by North Central (Ill.). 
• The lead continued to grow as Carthage's offense found rhythm, extending the margin to as many as 10 points before finishing off a 25-17 victory.
• North Central (Ill.) responded in the fourth, taking advantage of several late Carthage errors to erase a deficit and claim a 25-23 win. 
• The Firebirds briefly regained control late in the set with an attack error, but North Central (Ill.) closed on a decisive run to force a fifth set.
• In the deciding frame, Carthage established early control with efficient side-out offense and pressure from the service line. 
• A key ace from Bartz pushed the advantage to 12-9, and the Firebirds maintained a multi-point cushion down the stretch. 
• After North Central (Ill.) trimmed the deficit, Carthage delivered a final kill to secure the 15-12 victory.

• Ryan Bartz had a match-best 20 kills, followed by Ben Heise with 14 and Owen Hendricks with 13. 
• Bartz also tallied five aces while Hendricks had six combined blocks.
• Ryan Morey reached the 50-assist milestone in the match while Bartz and Austin Mallory finished with double-digit digs, concluding with 11 and 10, respectively.  

• Carthage heads to No. 14 Loras on Saturday, March 21, playing the Duhawks at 3 p.m.