Box Score The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team nearly rallied from two sets down Wednesday, but eventually fell 25-23, 25-16, 17-25, 25-20 against Carthage in a non-conference contest at Russell Arena in the Williams Center.
 
Four players finished with nine or more kills for the Warhawks (9-5 overall), including senior middle blocker Kristen Ruchti (Brodhead/Brodhead), junior outside hitter Jessica Sabey (Merrill/Merrill) and sophomore outside hitter Lauren Pfeifer (Fort Atkinson/Fort Atkinson), who tallied 10 apiece to lead the team. Senior right side hitter Ariel Feiertag (Brown Deer/Brown Deer) added nine kills on a .533 hitting percentage.
 
Senior setter Kim Frei (West Bend/West Bend West) led the team with 38 assists, while Ruchti led the front row with seven blocks.
 
Senior libero Kelsey Nobilio (Johnsburg, IL/Johnsburg) led the defense with 25 digs, while junior defensive specialist Jaclyn Krizka (Roscoe, IL/Hononegah) contributed 20 digs. Pfeifer tallied seven digs, while sophomore defensive specialist Tessa Weber (Pleasant Prairie/Tremper) posted seven digs and a team-best three service aces.
 
UW-Whitewater jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the first set, a run that included three kills by Ruchti. The Warhawks led by as many as five over the course of the opening frame, but the Lady Reds (12-1) eventually tied it at 19-19 before earning six of the last eight points to take a 1-0 advantage.
 
Carthage never trailed in the second set, running out to an 11-4 lead without looking back. UW-Whitewater narrowed its deficit to 18-12 on Krizka's serve to force a Lady Reds timeout, but Carthage responded by winning five of the next six points to retake control.
 
In the third, the Warhawks registered a pair of 4-0 runs on Nobilio's serve to jump out to a 16-10 advantage. UW-Whitewater responded to every mini-run made by the Lady Reds, hitting a match-high .279 in the period. Sabey recorded kills on three of the Warhawks' last four points of the set.
 
Carthage held the lead for the first half of the fourth set before UW-Whitewater tied it at 13-13. The set continued to go back and forth, but after a kills by Feiertag, the Lady Reds rattled off four straight points to make it 22-18. Despite two more kills by Feiertag, Carthage took three of the last four points to clinch the match.
 
The Warhawks return to action this Friday at the Concordia (Wis.) Tri. UW-Whitewater takes on host Concordia at 3 p.m. before taking on Maranatha Baptist at 5 p.m. in Mequon.