MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Carroll University women's volleyball opened play at the Raider Invite on Friday, splitting a pair of matches at the Kern Center. The Pioneers opened the afternoon with a straight-set victory over Benedictine University before battling back from a two-set deficit against host Milwaukee School of Engineering, ultimately falling in five sets to finish the day with a 4-3 overall record.
Friday Afternoon: Carroll 3, Benedictine 0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-19)
Carroll opened the Raider Invite with a strong performance against Benedictine, sweeping the Eagles in three sets. The opening set featured seven ties before the Pioneers pulled away late. With the score tied at 17, Carroll scored three straight points to take a 20-17 advantage and never surrendered the lead, eventually closing out the set 25-22.
The Pioneers carried the momentum into the second set, using a six-point run to turn a 3-2 advantage into a 9-2 lead. Benedictine cut the deficit to two at 9-7, but Carroll responded with another strong stretch, eventually building its advantage to 17-8 before taking the set 25-16. Carroll then overcame an early 10-5 deficit in the third, scoring six straight points to take an 11-10 lead. The teams battled back and forth before the Pioneers broke a 15-15 tie with four straight points and pulled away for a 25-19 victory to complete the sweep.
Audrey Rosenbaum and Carly Hicklin led the Pioneer attack with 10 kills each, while Kylie Wittnebel added seven kills on a .357 hitting percentage. Brooklyn Johnson provided an efficient spark, recording six kills on just seven attempts for an .857 hitting percentage. Hicklin added a team-high 15 digs, while Lexi Proctor and Payton Depies combined for 31 assists.
Friday Evening: MSOE 3, Carroll 2 (25-17, 25-21, 14-25, 27-29, 15-6)
Carroll returned to the court Friday evening against host MSOE, falling behind two sets to none after the Raiders claimed the opening frames 25-17 and 25-21. With its back against the wall, Carroll responded with its best offensive set of the match in the third, recording 16 kills and hitting .407. The Pioneers turned a narrow 12-11 advantage into a 17-11 lead behind five straight points before finishing the set on a six-point run to earn a convincing 25-14 victory.
The fourth set turned into a battle. Carroll led 19-16 before MSOE fought back to take a 22-20 advantage. The Pioneers answered with four straight points to reach set point at 24-22, but MSOE responded to extend the frame. The two sides traded opportunities before Carroll finally broke a 27-27 tie with a Talia Johnson kill followed by a Carly Hicklin service ace, taking the set 29-27 and completing the comeback to force a fifth.
MSOE quickly regained control in the deciding set. After the teams split the opening two points, the Raiders scored four straight to build a 5-1 advantage and later extended the lead to 11-3. Carroll was unable to mount another comeback as MSOE closed out the fifth 15-6 to take the match. Despite the loss, the Pioneers resilience has been evident to begin the 2026 campaign.
Rosenbaum and Hicklin once again led the Carroll attack with 12 kills apiece, while Proctor added 10 kills on a .290 hitting percentage to go along with 16 assists and 10 digs. Talia Johnson chipped in eight kills, while Samantha Miserendino continued to anchor the back row for the Pioneers with a match-high 29 digs. Hicklin added 15 digs and three service aces
Carroll will return to the Kern Center on Saturday to complete play at the Raider Invite with two more matches. The Pioneers will take on Luther College at 12 p.m. before closing out the tournament against Moravian University at 2 p.m.
