Carthage College Athletics

Wartburg 3, (RV) Carthage 2 (19-25, 25-19, 20-25, 25-21, 15-9)
(RV) Carthage 3, Wis-Stevens Point 2 (21-25, 26-24, 25-23, 15-25, 15-9)
KENOSHA, Wis. – The Carthage College women's volleyball team split a pair of five-set matches Saturday to close out the Carthage Tournament at Tarble Arena, falling to Wartburg College 3-2 before defeating Wis-Stevens Point 3-2.



VS WARTBURG
Set 1: Carthage took control early, building a lead behind kills from Kristina Manojlovic, Mina Reichert and Emma Crow. The Firebirds continued to maintain their advantage and closed out the opening set, 25-19.

Set 2: Wartburg responded with a strong second set, taking an early lead and eventually pulling away for a 25-19 victory to even the match.

Set 3: Carthage regained momentum in the third set, hitting .375 with 16 kills and just four errors. The Firebirds battled through a competitive frame before pulling away late, closing the set on a 5-0 run that included consecutive service aces from Ava Dettwiler to secure a 25-20 win.

Set 4: Wartburg answered again, taking a 25-21 decision to force a fifth set. Carthage stayed within striking distance late, cutting the deficit to 24-20 before the Knights finished the set on the next point.

Set 5: Wartburg jumped ahead 4-1 and extended its lead to 10-5. Carthage continued to battle, but the Knights maintained their advantage and secured the match with a 15-9 victory.

VS WIS-STEVENS POINT
Set 1: Stevens Point took the opening set, 25-21, despite a late push from Carthage. The Firebirds battled throughout the frame before the Pointers closed out the set.

Set 2: Carthage responded in a dramatic second set. After Stevens Point erased a 24-21 deficit to tie the score at 24-24, the Firebirds regained the lead on a service error before Dettwiler connected with Manojlovic for the set-clinching kill, giving Carthage a 26-24 victory.

Set 3: The Firebirds carried the momentum into the third set, battling through another tight frame. Carthage used a pair of service aces from Dettwiler and kills from Manojlovic and Crow to take control late before securing a 25-23 victory.

Set 4: Stevens Point forced a fifth set with a 25-15 win in the fourth. The Pointers hit .333 in the set while Carthage was held without a service ace and committed nine attack errors.

Set 5: Carthage took control early in the deciding set, building a 5-2 lead after a service ace from Ava McTeague. After Stevens Point pulled even at 7-7, Manojlovic delivered a service ace and Crow followed with a kill to put the Firebirds ahead 9-8. Carthage continued to pull away, with Elise Webster adding a service ace and Hailey Wierzgac recording consecutive blocks to give the Firebirds a 15-9 victory and the five-set match win.



Carthage moved to 2-2 on the season following Saturday's split. Against Wartburg, the Firebirds recorded 42 kills, 12 service aces, 59 digs and six total blocks. Manojlovic led Carthage with nine kills and 11 digs, while Reichert added 10 kills and 10 digs. Dettwiler finished with 31 assists and 12 digs, and Crow contributed nine kills while hitting .400.

Carthage bounced back in its second match of the day, overcoming Wisconsin-Stevens Point in another five-set battle. The Firebirds hit .190 as a team and finished with 52 kills, nine service aces, 54 digs and seven blocks. Manojlovic led the way with 19 kills, hitting .265 while adding 12 digs and two blocks. Dettwiler recorded 33 assists, seven kills, 11 digs and four service aces, while Crow added 11 kills.







Carthage returns to action Tuesday, Sept. 8, hosting the University of Chicago at Tarble Arena. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. For more information, visit athletics.carthage.edu.