KENOSHA - St. Norbert College's 2025 edition of men's volleyball got the season underway with a 3-0 loss to perennially strong Carthage College in a non-conference match at Tarble Arena.

The No. 8-ranked Firebirds topped the Green Knights 25-16, 25-15, 27-25 in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

Carthage led from start to finish in Set 1, jumping out to a 7-1 lead. The Green Knights trailed 9-6 in Set 2 before Carthage slowly pulled away to take a 19-10 edge. That led to a thrilling third set, which featured four lead changes and 20 ties. Carthage had four two-point leads until it went to a deuce set, the largest lead in the set. The Green Knights battled to a 25-25 tie before the Firebirds scored the last two points to secure the match.

St. Norbert hit .125, with 28 kills and 18 errors in 80 attempts. Bennett Kornaus (pictured) led the Green Knights with 12 kills against two errors in 20 attempts. Kaden Kornaus added eight kills. Michael Whitney had 21 assists.

Bennett Kornaus had eight digs, while Ryan Conway added seven. Kade Nelson registered two solo blocks.

Carthage hit .468, with 45 kills and eight errors in 79 attempts. Owen Hendricks had a team-high 11 kills.