KENOSHA, Wis. – Carroll University women's volleyball continued its strong stretch of play Saturday night, sweeping in-state rival Carthage College in three tightly contested sets inside Tarble Arena. The Pioneers extended their winning streak to five matches, improving to 17-10 overall and 6-1 in conference play. During their five-match winning streak, the Pioneers have dropped just three sets. With the victory, Carroll secured the No. 2 seed in the CCIW Tournament and earned a first-round bye.
Carthage came out strong in the opening set, jumping out to an early 11-7 advantage before extending its lead to 16-10. Carroll gradually chipped away at the deficit, but the Firebirds maintained control and held a 22-18 advantage late in the frame. The Pioneers responded with four consecutive points behind the serving of Carly Hicklin, including back-to-back service aces, to even the score at 22. Carthage eventually reached set point at 24-23, but Kylie Wittnebel delivered a crucial kill to keep Carroll alive. Audrey Rosenbaum followed with a kill to give the Pioneers their first lead of the set, and Wittnebel delivered another kill to complete the comeback and secure the 26-24 victory.
The second set featured another back-and-forth battle, with the two teams trading points throughout much of the frame. Carroll overcame an early 3-2 deficit with three consecutive kills from Rosenbaum, Miley Manternach and Clara Justice to take a 5-3 advantage. Neither team was able to establish much separation, with the score tied 19 times across the opening two sets combined. Carthage eventually grabbed a 22-19 lead, but Hicklin responded with back-to-back service aces to even the score at 22. The Firebirds reached 23-22 before Justice delivered consecutive kills to give Carroll set point at 24-23. Carthage answered to even the score at 24, but Wittnebel delivered a kill before combining with Lexi Proctor for a match-changing block to secure another 26-24 victory and give Carroll a 2-0 match lead.
The Firebirds refused to go away in the third set, jumping out to an early 8-6 advantage before Carroll responded with an eight-point run behind the serving of Lauryn Weber. The run featured kills from Hicklin, Proctor and Wittnebel, along with a Weber service ace, giving the Pioneers a 14-8 lead. Carthage gradually worked its way back into the frame, eventually erasing a 19-16 deficit with five consecutive points to take a 21-19 advantage. Carroll continued to battle, with Rosenbaum delivering a kill and Payton Depies adding a service ace to even the score at 22. The Firebirds eventually reached set point at 24-22, but Carroll refused to surrender. Rosenbaum delivered a kill to cut the deficit to one before Wittnebel recorded a solo block to even the score at 24. Proctor and Wittnebel followed with a block to give Carroll match point, and Justice delivered the finishing kill to secure the third consecutive 26-24 victory and complete the sweep.
Carroll finished the night with 44 kills on a .204 hitting percentage while adding 37 assists, nine service aces, 66 digs and seven total blocks. The Pioneers overcame a Carthage offense that recorded 49 kills on a .237 hitting percentage, using timely serving and strong defensive play at the net to secure the victory. The match featured 29 ties and 14 lead changes, with all three sets decided by the minimum two-point margin.
Justice led the Pioneer offense with nine kills on an impressive .333 hitting percentage, committing just one attack error on 24 attempts. Rosenbaum followed with eight kills, six digs and two block assists, while Wittnebel added eight kills on a .304 hitting percentage, one solo block and four block assists. Hicklin contributed eight kills, a team-high 19 digs and a match-high four service aces. Proctor added seven kills, 16 assists, 14 digs and two block assists, while Depies contributed 15 assists and two service aces. Samantha Miserendino anchored the defense with 14 digs, while Weber added eight digs and two service aces.
With the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the CCIW Tournament secured, the Pioneers will conclude their conference slate on Tuesday, November 3, when they travel to Wheaton, Illinois, to face Wheaton College in another conference matchup. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside King Arena.
