WAUKESHA, Wis. – The No. 2-seeded Carroll University women's volleyball team enters the postseason with history within reach as the Pioneers welcome No. 3 seed Elmhurst University for a CCIW Tournament semifinal Thursday night, after the Bluejays took down North Central on Tuesday night.
Carroll (18-11, 7-1 CCIW) is seeking its first berth in a CCIW Tournament championship match in program history and its first conference tournament victory since 2007, when the Pioneers won the Midwest Conference Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The semifinal brings together two teams that met just two weeks ago, with Carroll earning a 3-1 victory at Elmhurst on October 28. The Pioneers took the opening two sets 25-23 and 25-21 before the Bluejays answered with a 25-20 victory in the third. Carroll closed the match with a 25-20 fourth-set win.
That victory was part of a strong finish to CCIW play for Carroll. After dropping its conference opener to Illinois Wesleyan, the Pioneers rattled off seven consecutive league victories, including wins over North Central, Millikin, Augustana, North Park, Elmhurst, Carthage and Wheaton to finish 7-1.
The Pioneers enter the semifinal behind a balanced group that was recognized with four All-CCIW selections. Carly Hicklin and Audrey Rosenbaum earned First Team honors, while Samantha Miserendino and Lexi Proctor were selected to the Second Team.
Rosenbaum has led the Carroll attack with 332 kills and 3.02 kills per set while hitting .235. Hicklin has added 272 kills, 296 digs and a team-high 49 service aces, giving Carroll production in multiple phases. Proctor enters the postseason with 236 kills on a team-best .281 hitting percentage among Carroll players with at least 100 kills while adding 441 assists, 238 digs and 45 total blocks.
Miserendino has anchored the back row with a team-leading 460 digs, averaging 4.30 per set, while Carroll's serving game has produced 235 aces and 2.14 per set. As a team, the Pioneers average 12.04 kills and 16.02 digs per set.
Standing in Carroll's way is an Elmhurst squad that enters the semifinal 17-11 overall after defeating North Central in four sets Tuesday night. The Bluejays recovered from a 25-23 loss in the opening set to win the next three, 25-21, 25-20 and 25-22, earning their trip to Waukesha.
Katie Hurta leads the Bluejay attack with 402 kills, averaging 3.90 per set while hitting .335. Setter Freddie Temple has distributed 881 assists at 8.47 per set, while Elayna Ammerman has collected a team-best 465 digs. Elmhurst is hitting .223 as a team and averages 12.82 kills, 15.38 digs and 1.78 blocks per set.
The matchup pits Elmhurst's efficient attack against a Carroll team that has found success through pressure from the service line, defensive balance and depth. The Pioneers held Elmhurst to one set in their regular-season meeting and now look to repeat that result with considerably more at stake.
A victory would send Carroll to the CCIW Tournament championship for the first time and move the Pioneers one step closer to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since their 2007 Midwest Conference championship season.
Van Male Fieldhouse - 7pm - Thursday, November 12th
Livestream: https://cciwnetwork.com/carrollpioneers/?B=4801640
Live Stats: https://gopios.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
