Box Score
In a battle on Saturday night in the Harrington Center, between two ranked AVCA men's volleyball teams, the visiting Carthage College Red Men, ranked seventh nationally parlayed a varried hitting attack as they outlasted the Mount, ranked 14th in the nation, 3-1. The Lions, 10-5 overall, 4-2 in the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League, returns to action on March 1 when they host league foe Loras College. Carthage stays atop the MCVL standings, sporting a 6-0 mark, followed by Dominican (IL) University, 5-1, the Mount (4-2) and Lakeland College (4-2). Loras was 2-10, 0-4 entering play on Friday night.
The first set saw the two teams play close early on, before Carthage began to pull away. Holding an 8-5 lead, the Red Men 6-4 run to lead, 14-9 after a Mount hitting error. They would push that advantage out to 20-13, thanks in part to numerous players recording kills. The Lions them made a run at the lead, scoring four straight points, cutting the deficit to 20-17. The Lions would get no closer, including 24-21 after a kill by Alex Vohland (West Chester, OH/Lakota West) to make the score Carthage, 24-21. The Red Men then won the next point, and the first set, 25-21 on a kill.
Both teams would record low kill efficiencies in the second match, as Carthage went up 2-0 with a 25-23 win. The Lions went ahead 13-10 and held the lead down the stretch, before Carthage College tied the set at 18-all after a Mount hitting error. They would add to that lead and forge ahead 21-18, and see the Lions get to within one point. 24-23, after a kill by Cesar Trigo de Serrano (Miami, FL/Columbus). The visitors won the match on the next point with a kill.
The Lions would rebound, however, to grab the third set, thanks to having their best hitting set of the match, connecting on a .324 hitting percentage. The set was close again in the early going, until the Mount recorded three straight points to go ahead, 20-16. They then received kills by four different players, including two from Vohland down the stretch to win, 25-20, in set three.
The Mount held a 6-5 lead in set four, looking to tie the match at two-all, but Carthage rebounded and scored eight straight points to go up, 13-6. They would hold a comfortable lead for most of the rest of the set, with the Lions closing the deficit at 20-16. They, however, would get no closer as Carthage won their sixth straight MCVL match of the season with a 25-19 fourth set win.
Vohland had 23 kills and 17 digs to lead the Mount while teammate Luke Eschenbach (Cincinnati, OH/La Salle) had 51 assists and seven digs. Adam Williiams (Chicago, IL/Mt. Carmel) had 14 digs and Lyle Lehmann (Rapid City, SD/Rapid City Central) added 11 digs. Five players had seven or more kills each for Carthage. They out-hit the Mount, .241 to .174.
