It was a snappy start to the postseason for the Carthage women’s volleyball team.

Michelle Medeja finished with eight kills, while Rachel Swoboda and Lauren Dembkowski each had seven kills as the Reds swept Simpson (Iowa), 25-18, 25-16, 25-21 in the first round of the NCAA Division III Central Regional Championship in St. Louis on Thursday.

Carthage, ranked eighth in the final regular-season American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III poll, faces 21st-ranked Nebraska Wesleyan (18-11) in a second-round match 4:30 p.m. today.

“Without a doubt, we’re happy to have the first match out of the way,” Carthage coach Leanne Ulmer said. “Everybody was a little nervous, but the girls did a nice job.”

Carthage (32-5) trailed for only one point the entire match.

The Reds jumped to a 12-5 lead in the first game, opened with a 7-0 advantage in Game 2 and held an early 7-2 lead in Game 3 before Simpson took a brief 11-10 edge. Carthage answered with a 9-3 run in building a 19-14 lead and held a 23-21 advantage before claiming the final two points.

The Reds hit .263 with 33 kills in 99 attempts and seven errors. Drewann Pancratz finished with 21 assists and 12 digs, while Katie Lundgren tallied 12 digs. Dembkowski had 11 digs.

Carthage beat Simpson (21-14) for the second time in two weeks. The Reds claimed a 3-1 victory over the Storm at the UW-Whitewater Tournament on Oct. 31.

“Simpson didn’t play their best, but maybe we had a little something to do with that,” Ulmer said. “As a coach, you worry about everything and you definitely worry about playing low-seeded teams. You don’t want to take any team for granted this time of year and I’ve already heard about upsets all over the place in other regions.”

The Reds now shift their attention to Nebraska Wesleyan. The Prairie Wolves defeated UW-Platteville 25-17, 20-25, 26-24, 25-21 in other first round play on Thursday.

“Nebraska Wesleyan is big and we’re going to have to play better,” Ulmer said. “They’re not only big, they’re very athletic. The challenge is on.”

Regional winners advance to compete in the NCAA Division III championship round Nov. 19-21 in University Heights, Ohio.

Four Carthage players have been named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Midwest Region team.

Lundgren, Madeja and Swoboda were named first-team all-regional, while Pancratz received an honorable mention.

Carthage is one of 62 teams competing in the NCAA Division III Championships.

The Reds are making their fifth consecutive postseason appearance.