PICTURED ABOVE: Meghan Lacey had a team-high 23 digs with 11 kills in Wheaton's 3-2 win at Carthage on Tuesday night.

Kenosha, Wis. - The Thunder volleyball team put together a last gasp rally to score eight of the final ten points of the fifth set and defeat Carthage 3-2 by set scores of 25-23, 15-25, 25-22, 24-26, 15-13. With the victory, Wheaton clinches the third seed in this weekend's CCIW Tournament. The Thunder also registered their sixth straight victory, marking the second time under head coach Brittany Smith that Wheaton has won six straight and the first time since September of 2013. Wheaton finishes the regular season with a record of 13-15 overall and 6-2 in the CCIW. Carthage falls to 18-12 overall and 5-3 in the CCIW. The Lady Reds will be the fourth seed in the CCIW Tournament.

Shelby Knowles led the Wheaton attack with 20 kills and was joined in double-figures by Meghan Lacey with 11 kills. Ashley Torok dished out 29 assists and Kelly Thornton added 22 assists. Lacey led the Thunder defense with 23 digs and CCIW Defensive Player of the Week Jessica Bosse added 19 digs. Bosse led all players with three service aces.

In the decisive fifth set, Carthage broke a 3-3 tie and jumped out a 9-5 lead and then an 11-7 lead when Wheaton called its final timeout of the set. A Katie Rohrer kill started a Thunder run that tied the set at 11 on another Rohrer kill before a kill by Shelby Knowles gave Wheaton a 12-11 advantage. Carthage would level the score at 13-13 but consecutive kills by Madeline Moore gave Wheaton the 15-13 victory.

"We've been pushing the team hard all season long to embrace the privilege of pressure and to simply do their job," head coach Brittany Smith noted of her team's late rally. "That mental preparation showed up as we were down four points and came back to win. Each player focused on what they needed to do, and with the trust we had in each other, they had the confidence to get it done."

Wheaton also needed a rally to claim the first set of the night despite using a six-point run to take a 14-10 lead in the middle of the set. Wheaton pushed the lead to 21-16 before Carthage answered with seven straight points to lead 23-21. Out of a Wheaton timeout, consecutive kills by Meghan Lacey tied the score at 23 and two more attack errors by the Lady Reds gave Wheaton a 25-23 first set victory.

Carthage would take the second set in a 25-15 rout and Wheaton appeared ready to return the favor after jumping to leads of 7-1 and 18-8 in the third set. A furious Carthage rally would cut the Wheaton lead all the way down to 20-19 but a Carthage ball-handling error and a Knowles (PICTURED RIGHT) kill stemmed the tide of the run and another Knowles kill would end the set at 25-22. Wheaton held control of a back and forth fourth set before Carthage tied it at 17-17 and held on for a 26-24 set victory.

"I'm so proud of this team." Smith commented after the victory. "We struggled at times offensively but then stepped up defensively. As a group, the team responded well to adjustments made and everyone worked hard to do their job. Our leadership stepped up and it was a great team effort."

Wheaton's victory, coupled with a loss by Elmhurst, allowed the Thunder to finish the regular season tied for second place in the CCIW standings. Smith said of her team's finish, "To end the regular season tied for second when we were picked fifth in the preseason is a testament to the hard work put forth by these young women. We are looking forward to the challenge of the CCIW Tournament."

Wheaton will face Elmhurst in a CCIW Tournament Semifinal on Friday at 4:30 pm in Decatur, Illinois. CCIW Champion Millikin will host the tournament and will face Carthage later Friday night. The winner of Friday's semifinals will face-off at 2 PM on Saturday afternoon with the winner claiming the CCIW's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Tournament.