KENOSHA, Wis. – Matt Slivinski had a match-high 12 kills Friday to lead top-ranked Carthage to a three-set victory over Augustana at Tarble Arena. The Vikings dropped to 9-12 overall and 3-2 in the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League, while the Red Men improved to 18-1 on the season and 5-0 in the conference.
Freshman Sanchit Khaitan had 20 assists
in Augustana's loss at top-ranked
Carthage Friday .
The hosts won the first five points of the opening set and rolled to a 25-13 win. Evan Walsh had three kills and Slivinski two as Carthage extended their lead to 12-3. Augustana would get no closer than eight points the rest of the way. A Walsh kill gave the Red Men set point.
The Vikings led for much of game two, although never by more than two points.
Luis Zavala (Lincoln-Way East HS, Frankfort, Ill.) and
Gary Dodovich (St. Benedict HS, Chicago, Ill.) teamed up on a block that gave Augustana a 5-3 advantage. The teams then alternated the next 16 points, with a
Sanchit Khaitan kill
(Glenbard North HS, Bloomingdale, Ill.) eventually putting the Vikings up 13-11. Carthage won the next four points to take its first lead of the set, but the visitors battled back to lead 18-17 and 19-18 on a
Jason Szara (Lincoln-Way East HS, Frankfort, Ill.) service ace and a
Justin Murphy (Glenbard South HS, Lombard, Ill.) kill, respectively. The Red Men closed the game on a 7-1 run however, with set point in a 25-20 win coming on a Viking attack error.
A Matt Reinsel kill snapped a 2-2 tie in game three and Carthage won the next two points as well to go up 5-2. The margin grew to five (12-7) on another Reinsel kill before Augustana pulled to within 13-11 on a Szara kill. The Red Men took six of the next nine points to push the margin back to five (19-14) and the Vikings would get no closer than four points the rest of the way. Slivinski's kill provided match point in a 25-17 win.
Szara's eight kills led Augustana. Khaitan had 20 assists,
Matthew Schiferl (Wheeling HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) five digs and Zavala two blocks.
The Vikings are back in action on Saturday, March 23, travelling to Naperville, Illinois to face 12th-ranked North Central at 1:00 p.m.
