KENOSHA, Wis. -- North Park University Men's Volleyball ran into the buzz saw that is the nationally No. 4-ranked Carthage College Firebirds (14-2, 4-0 CCIW) on Wednesday night. The Vikings fell in straight sets (14-25, 19-25. 17-25).

Once again, senior outside hitter Ty Ingrao was the top hitter between both teams, driving a dozen kills on 30 attacks. Fifth-year libero Noah Chanthalangsy joined Carthage libero Zack Noland as the only two players to reach 10 digs.

A disappointing first and last set for the Vikings was broken up by a tightly contested second set.

The Vikings took a 4-2 lead thanks to kills by Ingrao, fifth-year setter Teddy Gedville, and senior middle blocker Sam Robinson. A few NPU attacking errors and plenty of kills by the Firebirds put Carthage back in front, but the Vikings would hang tough through the rest of the set. In that second-set battle, Ingrao and junior middle blocker Jonah Johnsamson each added four kills, seven set up by senior setter Liam Miller. North Park hit .286 but Carthage's potent offense countered with a .531 mark, driving 18 kills for the 25-19 win.

What's Next?

North Park (9-8, 2-3 CCIW) heads to sunny California next week for four matches in the city of Thousand Oaks for the California Lutheran Tournament. The Vikings first play Illinois Tech on Friday, March 14, before 14th-ranked UC Santa Cruz that same day. Respective first serves are 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM PT.