Carthage College tops North Central College, 3-0
Carthage swept North Central (IL) 25-19, 25-14, 25-19 on Tuesday, October 7 at Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis., improving to 14-5 overall and 3-0 in CCIW play. North Central falls to 7-6 on the season and 1-2 in conference.
The clearest separator in this match was efficiency on the attack. Carthage posted a .376 hitting percentage across three sets compared to North Central's .180, a gap of nearly 200 points. The Firebirds also held a commanding edge in aces (8-2) and blocks (8-3), giving them a multi-category advantage that kept North Central from finding sustained momentum. North Central's hitting in Set 2 dipped to just .056, a low point the Cardinals could not fully recover from.
Kristina Manojlovic led all players with 11 kills, adding 4 blocks and 9 digs for an all-around night. Hailey Wierzgac contributed 8 kills and 3 blocks, while setter Ava Dettwiler ran the Carthage offense with 21 assists, 12 digs, and 6 kills on a .417 clip. For North Central, Abby Buban paced the Cardinals with 10 kills and 7 digs, and Sarah Harvey distributed 25 assists to anchor the offense.
Carthage opened Set 2 on a 5-0 run, establishing control from the first whistle and never relinquishing it in what became the most lopsided frame of the night.
The win keeps Carthage undefeated in CCIW play at 3-0 on the season.
