THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- No. 6 Cal Lutheran men's volleyball defeated its third ranked opponent as the Kingsmen took down No. 8 Carthage 3-1 on Friday night. 

On top of beating No. 8, the Kingsmen have also defeated No. 6 and 14 to kick off their 2024 campaign.

The Kingsmen took the lead early and were in control for most of the match. The scores of the match were 25-22, 25-18, 23-25, 25-17.

Ben Weber led the way with 12 kills, Jordan Cooper was next with 11, Michael Stahl had nine, Borys Horiuk added seven, and Noah Rigo had five.

Stahl came up big with three service aces and Taylor Marks added two. Marks kept his big day going with nine digs and Stahl was next with eight. 

The Kingsmen took the first two sets and fought hard in the third but Carthage snuck out a set win. With the fourth set tied at 11, the Kingsmen went on a 5-0 run and took the lead. Weber recorded two kills and Marks had an ace during the run. It was the space the Kingsmen needed as they won the match.

The Kingsmen look to continue their hot start on Saturday as they take on No. 19 UC Santa Cruz at 7 p.m.