WAUKESHA, Wis. – Carroll University women's volleyball continued its strong stretch Tuesday night, defeating St. Norbert College in straight sets inside Van Male Field House. The Pioneers earned victories of 25-21, 25-22 and 25-16 to secure their third consecutive 3-0 victory and improve to 7-3 overall.
Carroll 3, St. Norbert 0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-16)
Carroll came out strong in the opening set, using an early four-point run to build a 5-1 advantage. The Pioneers continued to control the frame and led 20-15 before St. Norbert made a late push, scoring four straight points to pull within one at 20-19. Carroll responded by taking five of the final seven points, with Carly Hicklin recording a kill at set point to help the Pioneers secure a 25-21 victory.
St. Norbert flipped the script to begin the second, jumping out to a 7-3 advantage and maintaining the lead through much of the set. Carroll, once again showing their resilience, gradually chipped away at the deficit before finally pulling even at 20-20. Carroll regained control and took five of the final seven points, with Kylie Wittnebel closing out the 25-22 win with a kill.
The Pioneers carried that momentum into the third set. Leading 7-5, Carroll used a four-point run to extend its advantage to 11-5 and continued to create separation from there. The lead grew to 22-12 following another four-point stretch. St. Norbert was unable to recover as Carroll finished off the sweep with a 25-16 victory.
Hicklin led the Pioneer attack with a match-high 12 kills while hitting .333 and adding eight digs and two service aces. Wittnebel delivered another efficient performance with seven kills on 14 attempts, while Audrey Rosenbaum, fresh off an All-Tournament Team selection over the weekend, added eight kills and 10 digs. Lexi Proctor recorded a match-high 16 digs to go along with 14 assists, while Payton Depies dished out a team-high 15 assists. Avery Halstead led Carroll's strong presence at the net with five total blocks.
The Pioneers also held a 10-7 advantage in total blocks and did not surrender a service ace in the match.
Carroll will travel to Minnesota this weekend for the Bethel Invite, where the Pioneers are scheduled to play three matches. Carroll opens tournament play Friday at 4 p.m. against UW-Stevens Point.
