WAUKESHA, Wis. - Carroll Volleyball (19-14, 1-7 CCIW) fell in the closing match of the 2024 season on Wednesday night, losing to North Park (13-15, 4-4 CCIW), in a hard-fought five-set thriller. There were 32 ties and 14lead changes in the match, ultimately ending in the Vikings' favor by scores of 25-18, 25-22, 21-25, 17-25, 18-16. 

Offensively, freshman Bronwyn Rowse led the Pioneer attack with 13 kills. Payton Depies led with 24 assists to go along with two aces, a number that was matched by fellow Pioneer Samantha Miserendino. Defensively, Maggie McGough led the way with 21 digs and Kylie Wittnebel led the team at the net with seven total block, followed closely behind by Lizzy Williams with six. 

SET 1  (25-18 North Park) 

With the score tied 4-4, the Vikings used a 13-4 run to gain a comfortable lead that Carroll was unable to overcome. The Vikings posted a .300 attack percentage in the opening frame, compared to Carroll's .103 percentage. Rowse led with four kills in the frame. 

SET 2 (25-23 North Park) 

Carroll settled in in the second set, staying neck and neck with North Park as neither team held a lead of more than three points. Rowse, Williams, and Peyton Frost all contributed two kills to the Pioneer attack and Payton Depies added six assists to her season total. Wittnebel had her best set of the night defensively, stuffing four kill attempts. 

SET 3 (25-21 Carroll) 

With no other option, Carroll dug in and fought to a third set victory, using an 8-3 run to take the frame. Three different Pioneer seniors registered two or more kills in the set, with Grace Perret leading with four, Frost adding three more, and Rebekah Andreae tallying two of her own. Frost also led with four digs in the set. 

SET 4 (25-18 Carroll) 

It was all Carroll in set four, which included an 11-3 Pioneer run at one point. Rowse added four kills to her season total, while Depies and McGough contributed five assists and 5 digs, respectively. 

SET 5 (18-16 North Park) 

In the last set of the season, Carroll gave everything they had. Finding themselves down 12-7, Carroll came out of a timeout with a 7-1 run to draw within a point of victory. Neither side could gain a two-point separation for several rallies, until the Vikings found some luck and closed the match out with an 18-16 thriller. Frost, Rowse, and Perret all had two kills in the frame and McGough added seven digs. 

Carroll's 2024 season comes to a close with heartbreak, yet an optimistic outlook on the future. Carroll loses four seniors on the team, but return eight underclassmen who contributed significant playing time to the team this year. That includes four freshman, two sophomores, and two juniors. The future is bright for Carroll volleyball in Emma Mertler's third season.