FOND DU LAC, Wis. - Carroll University women's volleyball split a pair of matches at the Marian Triangular on Saturday afternoon, falling to Aurora University 3-1 before bouncing back with a 3-0 sweep of host Marian University. The split moves the Pioneers to 9-7 overall.
Aurora 3 Carroll 1 (30-32, 25-9, 25-9, 25-8)
Carroll opened the afternoon against Aurora in a tightly contested first set. The two teams traded points throughout the frame before Carroll earned a 24-22 advantage. Aurora fought off multiple set points as the teams continued to battle beyond 25. With the score tied at 30, Carroll secured the final two points to take the marathon opening set, 32-30.
Aurora responded quickly in the second set, opening the frame with 12 consecutive points on its way to a 25-9 victory. The Spartans carried that momentum into the remainder of the match, taking the third set 25-9 and the fourth 25-8 to secure the 3-1 victory. Carroll finished the match with 32 kills, five service aces and five blocks.
Audrey Rosenbaum and Clara Justice led the Pioneer attack with seven kills apiece, while Kylie Wittnebel and Carly Hicklin each added five. Samantha Miserendino recorded a team-high 13 digs, while Ashley Miller and Payton Depies finished with 11 and nine assists, respectively.
Carroll 3 Marian 0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-17)
The Pioneers responded well in their second match of the day with a straight-set victory over Marian.
Marian held an 18-12 advantage midway through the opening set before Carroll completely flipped the momentum. The Pioneers answered with eight consecutive points to take a 20-19 lead and eventually closed the set with four straight points to earn the 25-20 victory.
The second set remained close throughout. After Marian took a 21-20 lead, the Pioneers responded with four consecutive points to move within one point of the set. Carroll held off the Sabres from there for a 25-22 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
Carroll carried the momentum into the third set. Leading 9-7, the Pioneers rattled off five straight points to build a 13-7 advantage and remained in control for the rest of the frame.
The Pioneers put together an efficient offensive performance against Marian, recording 43 kills with just eight attack errors on 127 attempts for a .276 hitting percentage.
Lexi Proctor led Carroll with 11 kills on a .290 hitting percentage while adding four block assists. Rosenbaum added nine kills while hitting .333, and Hicklin finished with eight kills and 20 digs. Wittnebel recorded five kills without an error on 11 attempts for a .455 hitting percentage, while Miley Manternach added five block assists. Miller led the Pioneers with 22 assists, and Jisselle Mejia recorded a match-high 21 digs.
Carroll returns home on Wednesday, September 30, when it hosts North Central College at Van Male Fieldhouse. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
