WAUKESHA, Wis. – Carroll University women's volleyball closed out its regular season Friday night with a five-set battle against the University of Wisconsin-Stout inside Van Male Fieldhouse. After winning the opening two sets, the Pioneers saw the Blue Devils rally to take the match 21-25, 18-25, 27-25, 25-20, 15-7. Carroll moves to 18-11 overall following the loss, while UW-Stout improves to 16-11.
The Blue Devils jumped out to an early 6-2 advantage in the opening set, but Carroll quickly battled back, eventually taking a 10-8 lead behind a Kylie Wittnebel service ace. The Pioneers continued to build momentum, with back-to-back kills from Carly Hicklin pushing the advantage to 13-10. Carroll extended its lead to 22-16 before UW-Stout responded with four consecutive points to cut the deficit to 22-20. The Pioneers remained composed down the stretch, with kills from Hicklin and Miley Manternach helping secure the 25-21 victory.
Carroll carried that momentum into the second set, overcoming an early 4-2 deficit with five consecutive points to take a 7-4 advantage. The Pioneers continued to apply pressure, extending their lead to 13-7 behind a pair of Hicklin kills. UW-Stout responded with six consecutive points to even the score at 13, setting up a competitive finish. With the score tied at 16, Carroll rattled off three straight points to regain control. Leading 20-18, the Pioneers closed the set with five consecutive points, highlighted by a Lauryn Weber service ace and a pair of Lexi Proctor kills, to secure the 25-18 victory and take a commanding 2-0 match lead.
The third set proved to be the turning point of the night, featuring 19 ties and six lead changes. Neither team was able to establish a significant advantage early, with the two sides trading points throughout the frame. Carroll eventually built a 20-17 lead behind a Manternach kill and a Hicklin service ace, but UW-Stout responded with four consecutive points to take a 21-20 advantage. The Blue Devils reached set point at 24-22, but Carroll fought back to even the score at 24. After UW-Stout regained the advantage, Proctor delivered a crucial kill to tie the score at 25. However, the Blue Devils responded with consecutive points to secure the 27-25 victory and extend the match.
UW-Stout carried its momentum into the fourth set, jumping out to an early 12-3 advantage. Carroll refused to go away, using a four-point run highlighted by back-to-back Ashley Miller service aces to cut the deficit to 16-12. The Pioneers continued battling, but the Blue Devils maintained their advantage, eventually taking the frame 25-20 to force a decisive fifth set.
In the final set, UW-Stout grabbed an early 4-2 lead before Carroll battled back to even the score at four behind a Miller service ace. The Blue Devils responded with a four-point run to take an 8-5 advantage at the changeover. Carroll cut the deficit to 8-7 following a Clara Justice kill and a Samantha Miserendino service ace, but UW-Stout closed the match with seven consecutive points to secure the 15-7 victory.
Carroll finished the night with 72 kills on a .269 hitting percentage, adding 67 assists, eight service aces, 88 digs and four total blocks. UW-Stout recorded 67 kills on a .275 hitting percentage while adding eight service aces, 89 digs and eight blocks.
Hicklin and Proctor led the Pioneer offense with 18 kills apiece. Hicklin recorded a .349 hitting percentage while adding 17 digs, one service ace and one solo block. Proctor delivered an impressive performance, hitting a match-high .586 with just one attack error on 29 attempts. Audrey Rosenbaum followed with 16 kills on a .317 hitting percentage, while Wittnebel contributed seven kills, two solo blocks and one service ace. Payton Depies led Carroll with 28 assists and 10 digs, while Miller added 26 assists, 10 digs and a match-high three service aces. Miserendino anchored the Pioneer defense with a match-high 25 digs, adding 12 assists and one service ace.
The Pioneers now turn their attention to the CCIW Tournament, where they earned the No. 2 seed after finishing conference play with a 7-1 record, marking the program's highest conference winning percentage (.875) since 2007. Carroll's second-place finish secured a first-round bye into the tournament semifinals, where the Pioneers will host the winner of the No. 3 versus No. 6 seed quarterfinal matchup on Thursday, November 12, inside Van Male Fieldhouse.
