ROCK ISLAND — The No. 3 Carthage men's volleyball team secured a straight-set victory over Augustana (Ill.) on the road, earning a 25-20, 25-12, 30-28 win on Saturday. The Firebirds controlled the opening two sets before rallying from a late surge by the Vikings in the third to close out the match.

• Final Score: No. 3 Carthage 3 - Augustana (Ill.) 0 (25-20, 25-12, 30-28)
• Location: Rock Island, Illinois - Carver PE Center
• Records: No. 3 Carthage 14-2 (4-0 CCIW), Augustana (Ill.) 8-5 (2-2 CCIW)

• An ace from Ruben Emmerich broke an early tie and put Carthage ahead 10-8 in the opening set.
• Ryan Monahan followed with a kill to extend the Firebird lead to 14-9.
• Ryan Bartz later delivered a kill that stretched the advantage to five.
• Augustana (Ill.) trimmed the deficit to four late in the set, but Bartz sealed the frame with another kill as Carthage took the opener 25-20.
• The Firebirds surged ahead early in the second set, building a 14-4 lead after a Bartz kill.
• Back-to-back kills from Emmerich and Monahan pushed the margin to 20-7. Emmerich finished the set with another kill as Carthage cruised to a 25-12 victory.
• Augustana (Ill.) answered in the third, staying within striking distance throughout the set and eventually moving ahead by two on a late kill.
• The Vikings reached set point, but Bartz tied the score at 25 with a timely kill.
• Both teams traded points before Hudson Sweitzer and Ryan Morey combined for a block to give Carthage the edge.
• Bartz followed with the decisive kill, securing the 30-28 set win and completing the Firebird sweep.

• The Firebirds hit .421 as an offense, .630 in set two, with 17 kills off 27 total attacks. 
• Ryan Bartz had a match-best 15 kills, followed by Ryan Monahan with 12 and Ben Heise with 11. 
• Ryan Morey tallied 45 assists, the first time this season Morey has notched 40 assists in a three-set match. 
• Bartz recorded 13 digs, while Morey had eight and Monahan had seven. 

"What a great match for us on the road. It's so hard to win in this conference, and our defense in the back court from point 1 was incredible from everyone. Ryan Morey and Ben Heise have taken a big step forward in that skill, and Austin Mallory was phenomenal as always.

We have developed offensively over the last couple of weeks, and it really showed today. Ryan Morey distributed the ball well. Ryan Bartz and Ryan Monahan attacked the ball with outstanding range. Our middle duo of Hudson Sweitzer and Ruben Emmerich put immense pressure on their block.

Our bench continued to elevate us and made plays in big moments. Ethan Sprague made some great block touches, and Joe Kolwicz commanded the floor. I was particularly impressed with how Erik Stover played. He ripped some big serves in big moments for us.

We really stayed present and appreciated today. I'm proud of this group and how the battle. We have earned a couple of days off to enjoy Spring Break.

If you are in the Kenosha area on Saturday, 3/14, we need you to come out and support Griffin Shields as we celebrate his Hall of Fame induction between sets two and three!"

• Up next, the Firebirds welcome Dominican (Ill.) to Tarble Arena on Saturday, March 14 at 3 p.m.