WAUKESHA, Wis. - Amanda Hahn was a defensive force on the court.
Hahn, a 5-foot-6 senior libero from Itasca, Ill., contributed a team-leading 18 digs, three assists and two service aces as the Carroll University women's volleyball team swept North Park University 25-13, 25-21, 25-19 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin dual meet at Van Male Athletic Complex on Friday night.
It was the sixth three-set victory of the season for Carroll, which won its third consecutive home-court dual to improve to 5-2 in the highly contested conference standings and 18-9 overall with the dominant, 1 hour, 20-minute Senior Night performance.
The victory took on added meaning as it marked the first time the Pioneers have reached the 18-victory mark since 2013 and strengthened the team's hold on the No. 3 seed in the upcoming six-team CCIW Tournament with one league dual remaining.
The postseason tournament was expanded to a six-team field for 2018-19.
Illinois Wesleyan and Carthage are currently tied for first (7-0), Carroll maintains sole possession of third (5-2), Millikin is fourth (4-3), followed by fifth-place Augustana (4-4) and sixth-place North Park (3-4) to round out the field.
Tied 17-17 in the pivotal, momentum-shifting second set, Carroll maintained its composure and responded with an 8-4 run to pull away - capped on a kill by sophomore middle blocker Rachel Noonan (Crystal Lake, Ill.).
"To be able to come away with a victory on Senior Night meant the world to me," said a smiling Hahn, who generated 13 digs and two aces during the key second set surge. "I've been playing with these ladies for the last three years so to see everyone jell, play up to their potential and gradually develop into a powerhouse has been something special.
Hahn, one of five seniors on the deep, battle-tested roster, entered the contest with 1,227 career kills and 66 aces.
"Coming into the match, the mindset was to simply focus on each point and attempt to use all of our abilities out on the court.," Hahn added. "As that happened, it allowed us to put together a string of points and led to a lot of success. I enjoy reading the situation, digging the ball and being the start of the play. It's just a great feeling when my teammates make the most of it and finish on a strong note. As a whole, we've been making a lot of history this season so its been a rewarding experience to be a part of it. Coming away with a sweep on a such a special night was something I will always remember."
Junior middle blocker Erika Dunnam (Shawano, Wis.) finished with a team-high 11 kills, five blocks and three digs for the Pioneers, who generated 36 kills with a .239 hitting percentage, 10 blocks, nine service aces and committed only 10 errors. 
"It was a total team effort from beginning to end," said Dunnam, who delivered a powerful right-handed spike from the left side to extend the lead to 22-19 in the second set. "With it being a special night for the seniors, we just wanted to come out strong and win this one for them. When it was close in the second set, we made up our minds that we were going for the sweep and made it happen.
"Having never been to the conference tournament, it will be exciting to go for the first time and show what we can do. Getting this victory on our home court should give us some confidence for the meets to come."
Senior middle blocker Karley Wolf (Roselle, Ill.) followed with six kills for Carroll, which received a standing ovation from the large crowd of spectators in the stands. Junior outside hitter Kylie Mueller (Fox Lake, Ill.) had five kills, five digs and four blocks.
Noonan collected three kills and a team-best eight blocks for the Pioneers. Junior setter Emma Przeslicke (Evergreen Park, Ill.) added three aces and 21 assists.
Carroll head coach Becca Saal was pleased with her team's ability to make plays at key times in the match, build confidence and sustain the momentum.
"We knew coming in that North Park was a really scrappy team and it would be hard to terminate the ball against them," Saal said. "Even though we weren't completely in sync at times, we were still able to work through the situation by scoring some big points and making plays to sustain the momentum. It took some time but that's when we went to our big attackers and took control. As that took place, we continued to make good decisions, stuck to our game plan and did what we needed to do to get the job done.
"From start to finish, we played as a team and believed in one another. That was ultimately the real key to our success."
Wolf, Hahn, senior outside hitter Josie Wierzal (Frankfort, Ill.) and senior libero Trystam Carr (Charlottesville, Va.) and senior defensive specialist Karlee Gierczak (Green Bay, Wis.) were honored during an enthusiastic pre-game ceremony.