SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Carthage advanced to the NCAA Division III Men’s Volleyball Championship match with a 25-16, 25-18, 25-19 semifinal win over Wittenberg on Thursday night at Blake Arena.
The Firebirds improved to 25-3 and extended their winning streak to nine matches. Carthage has not dropped a set since March 21. Carthage will meet Springfield in the NCAA Division III championship match on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
The Firebirds finished Thursday’s match with a .488 hitting percentage while limiting Wittenberg to a .264 mark. Ryan Bartz led Carthage with 13 kills, a .611 hitting percentage and three service aces. Ben Heise added 12 kills and hit .500, while Ryan Morey directed the offense with 36 assists and six digs. Ryan Monahan and Ruben Emmerich combined for 14 kills. Emmerich had six kills on seven attempts for an .857 hitting percentage. Devon O’Callaghan also recorded six digs for the Firebirds.
The win marked Carthage’s third appearance in the national semifinals under head coach JW Kieckhefer. The Firebirds also improved to 7-0 all-time against Wittenberg.
Follow the CCIW
|
CCIW on X |
CCIW Instagram |
CCIW Facebook |
CCIW YouTube |
CCIW on TikTok |
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).