WAUKESHA, Wis. – Carroll women's volleyball battled Carthage in a competitive CCIW matchup Friday night at Van Male Fieldhouse, but fell in three sets (17-25, 16-25, 25-27).

Carroll (16-15, 3-5 CCIW) started strong in the opening set, trading points early behind kills from Kylie Wittnebel and Audrey Rosenbaum. The Pioneers trailed just 13-12 midway through the frame before Carthage closed on a 12-5 run to take the set 25-17.

The second set saw Carthage jump ahead early, and despite a late push from Carroll, including a service ace by Samantha Miserendino, the Firebirds held on for a 25-16 win. Carroll responded in the third with its best offensive rhythm of the night, leading 18-16 after a Rosenbaum kill. The set featured 10 ties and five lead changes, but Carthage escaped 27-25 to seal the match.

Carroll hit .110 as a team and recorded 40 kills, led by Wittnebel's 10 kills and Rosenbaum's 12. Hicklin added six kills and three blocks, while Payton Depies contributed five kills and a team-high 10 digs. The Pioneers posted four team blocks and served up five aces.

Carthage (20-11, 5-3 CCIW) hit .275 with 56 kills, paced by Kristina Manojlovic's 15 kills and Ava Dettwiler's 12. The Firebirds finished with six team blocks and four aces.

Despite tonight's result, the Pioneers had clinched a berth in the CCIW Conference Championship, marking their first appearance since 2018 showcasing the positive direction of the team. Additionally, Junior Setter, Payton Depies, hit 2000 assists tonight capping off a tremendous season for her. She is just the fourth player in Carroll History to Achieve this.

With the result, Carroll clinched the 5 seed meaning they will travel to take on 4 seed Wheaton on Tuesday at 7pm, as they look to make some noise in the tournament and make the semifinals against a Wheaton team they have already beaten this season.