BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — No. 4 Carthage College defeated No. 17 Illinois Wesleyan, 3-0, on Saturday afternoon at the Shirk Center to secure the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) regular-season championship for the third consecutive season. The Firebirds won by scores of 25-23, 26-24 and 26-24 to improve to 20-3 overall and 9-1 in conference play, while the Titans fell to 21-5 overall and 8-2 in the CCIW.
 
The Firebirds have won or shared three straight league titles and five of six crowns since the league first crowned a regular-season champion in 2021.
 
Illinois Wesleyan took an early 12-8 lead in the opening set before Carthage responded with three straight points to even the score at 13. Kills by Hudson Sweitzer and Ryan Bartz helped fuel the run. The teams remained close throughout the remainder of the set until Ryan Morey gave the Firebirds a one-point advantage with a kill. After Illinois Wesleyan tied the score at 22, Carthage closed the set with the help of a Titans attack error and a Bartz service ace.
 
The second set was again closely contested in the early stages, with the score tied at 12 before Carthage used a four-point run to gain separation. That stretch included a Bartz kill, a combined block by Bartz, Ruben Emmerich and Morey, and an ace from Ryan Kelly. Back-to-back kills from Ryan Monahan later pushed the Firebirds ahead 20-17. Illinois Wesleyan came back to tie the set at 24, but Carthage closed it out on a kill from Ben Heise and an ace by Morey.
 
In the third set, Illinois Wesleyan built an 8-4 lead before Carthage answered with a 6-1 run to move in front, 12-11. Bartz and Monahan each contributed kills during that stretch. Heise added another kill before the Titans responded with six consecutive points to take a 20-17 lead. Illinois Wesleyan later held a 23-21 advantage, but Carthage tied the score at 23 on kills by Monahan and Bartz. After the Titans briefly regained the lead, Morey and Bartz each recorded kills, and Sweitzer finished the match with a service ace to give the Firebirds a 26-24 win.
 
Bartz, Heise and Monahan each finished with 11 kills for Carthage. Morey recorded 30 assists, while Heise led the team with 12 digs. Devon O’Callaghan added 11 digs and Bartz finished with 10.
 
With the result, Carthage secured the No. 1 seed for the CCIW Tournament and will host a semifinal match against North Central on Wednesday, April 8 at 7 p.m.