Carthage Wins Back-to-Back Volleyball National Championships Defeating Springfield 3-1

The Carthage College men’s volleyball team defeated No. 1 Springfield to win the 2022 Men’s Volleyball Division III National Championship on Saturday at Tarble Arena.

Each team traded points early in the first until an attack error for Springfield (29-2) and a block from Gene McNulty put Carthage (24-3) up 4-2. Matt Slivinski put in a kill which extended the Firebird lead to 10-5 forcing a timeout. Springfield rallied getting within one with two straight kills but an 8-3 run for the Firebirds made it 20-15. Another rally from Springfield got it to three until a service error for the Pride made it set point. Carthage won the set with a closing kill from David Markes.

The second began similar to the first with each team trading points until a Springfield service error and a block from Peyton Wieter put the Firebirds ahead 10-7. The Pride got within three with a kill then an ace made it 14-12 before Markes connected on another kill. After Carthage scored the next three of five points, Springfield got within two with a kill. Slivinski registered another kill extending the Carthage lead to 20-17. Later, Schmidt tallied a kill moving the score ahead to 23-20. Another Slivinski strike gave Carthage the set 25-22.

In the third, the Pride scored the first three with a pair of kills and an ace, before an attack error for Springfield tied it at six. After back-to-back attack errors for the Pride put Carthage in front 11-8, Springfield tied it at 11 with an ace. The Pride later went up three with a kill 18-14 as a kill widened the margin to five. Springfield won the third 25-18.

The score was locked at 11 in the fourth as the Pride connected on a kill. Once again, both teams traded points until Slivinski recorded another kill moving the score to 18-17. Springfield went on to tie it at 22 however, a bad set for the Pride gave the Firebirds set point. Carthage won the game off an attacking error for the 25-22 set win.

Matt Slivinski, Gene McNulty, and Kyle Cohan were named to the all-tournament team while Slivinski was named MVP of the tournament for the second-straight year.