Kenosha, Wi., -- North Park Men's Volleyball traveled to Tarble Arena on Wednesday night for a CCIW road test against #3 Carthage College. Despite a strong push in the final frame that saw seven ties and two lead changes, the Vikings (1-21, 0-7 CCIW) fell in straight sets to the Firebirds (17-3, 6-1 CCIW) with scores of 16-25, 11-25, and 22-25.  The match opened with North Park looking to establish their presence at the net with Adekunle Adebayo and Isaac Vroom, providing early sparks for the Vikings.  Carthage offense found its rhythm through the set, ending with a .346 hitting percentage in the opening frame.

In the second set, Carthage recorded 11 kills with only one error for a blistering .455 hitting percentage. Gino Hamoy worked to distribute the offense, and Zachary Hayden anchored the back row with several impressive digs, but the Firebirds claimed the set 25-11.  The Vikings battled in their final frame, turning the third set into a back-and-forth thriller. North Park's service game came alive, with Vroom and Adebayo recording aces to keep the match close. The Vikings fought through seven ties and twice took the lead, pressuring the Carthage defense late into the set.  Trailing 22-23 after a Carthage service error, the Vikings were within striking distance of forcing a fourth set. However, a late ace from Ryan Kelly and a final kill by Ethan Sprague allowed the Firebirds to escape with a 25-22 win to clinch the match.

North Park will regroup for another CCIW conference game on Saturday, March 28th when they play host to #10 Loras College.  The match is set to start at 3pm.