Falcons Fall to No. 13 Carthage

MEQUON, Wis. - Saturday saw the CUW men's volleyball battle against the nationally-ranked Firebirds of Carthage College. 

The Firebirds would take the match in four sets, dropping CUW's record to 2-5.

After trailing by as much as six in the first frame, the Falcons completed the comeback to take the first set 25-23.

The comeback initially started with CUW's 4-0 run, which saw a service ace from junior Logan Kebisek (Brookfield, Wis.) and a kill from senior Spencer Herman (Kimberly, Wis.) to cut their deficit to just two, 11-13. 

The Falcons put together a run to knot the score at 15-15, as just junior Lucas Beres (Germantown, Wis.) earned points on back-to-back possessions, courtesy of a kill and service ace. 

Another 3-0 from the Blue and White would secure the 21-18 lead, as senior Andy Ellingham (Burlington, Wis.) had a service ace to start off the scoring spurt. 

Two straight kills between sophomore Tate Miller (Anthem, Ariz.) and Lucas Beres would extend CUW's lead to four, 23-19.

A kill from Spencer Herman earned the Falcons' set point before a Firebird service error gave CUW the 25-23 first-set victory.

The second frame saw CUW take a slim two-point advantage, 10-8. 

But the Firebirds would respond with a 9-2 run of their own to secure a seven-point lead. 

Despite CUW's best efforts to make a comeback again, Carthage managed to keep their distance and secure the second set 25-17 to level the match at 1-1.

In the third set, the Falcons took a quick three-point lead off the service ace from Andy Ellingham. 

Toward the midway point of the set, Spencer Herman, on a set-up from Tate Miller, put the score at 11-8 in CUW's favor.

But the offensive prowess of Carthage once again made an appearance, as they scored six straight to secure a three-point lead of their own.

Determined to reclaim their early lead, the Falcons fought their way back to level the score at 18-18, as Tate Miller, on a set from Andy Ellingham, tied the game up.

However, from that point on, the Firebirds would regroup and snag the third set, 25-22.

The early parts of the fourth set saw CUW sophomore Chase Ammons (Brookfield, Wis.) record a kill on an assist from Logan Kebisek to give the Falcons a 3-1 lead.

But as the set progressed, Carthage would claw their way to tie the score at 5-5 before going on a 10-3 run to enjoy the 15-8 lead.

Ultimately, the fourth set would go the way of the Firebirds, with a final score of 25-15, to take the match in four sets.

Spencer Herman led the charge for the flock, totaling a team-high 17.5 points on 16 kills, along with seven digs. Spencer Herman joined the 500 dig club with his seven digs, putting him one shy of the career record.

Logan Kebisek once again led the Blue and White in assists, totaling 33, while also notching a team-high eight digs.

Meanwhile, both Andy Ellingham and Lucas Beres recorded three service aces, while Beres also added four block assists to his season total.

Non-conference action for the Flacons will continue on Tuesday, Feb. 13^th, as they take on Illinois Wesleyan from the R. John Buuck Field House, with the first serve scheduled for 7 p.m.