ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College volleyball team lost to visiting Carleton, 3-1 in the first MIAC match of the season for both teams Wednesday night in the Leonard Center. The Scots are now 4-6 overall, while the Knights improve to 7-1.

In the first home match of the 2018 campaign, Macalester struggled to gain momentum early as Carleton cruised to 25-15 and 25-14 wins in the first two sets. In the third set, the Scots scored the first four points and built a 19-13 advantage. The Knights responded by scoring five straight points to pull within one, 19-18. Clinging to a 21-20 edge, Macalester closed out the set by scoring the final four points, including two service aces from sophomore libero Abrielle Dillon (Brown Deer, Wis./University School of Milwaukee), to win 25-20.

The Scots maintained the upper hand into the fourth set in building a 17-10 advantage. But Carleton outscored Macalester, 15-2 the rest of the way to take the fourth set, 25-19 and win the match. The Knights had 44 kills in the match compared to 37 for the Scots.

Junior right side Grace Brickner (Bronx, N.Y./Fieldston) paced the home team with nine kills and a .296 hitting percentage, while sophomore Sofia Parmelee (Tenafly, N.J./Tenafly) added eight kills. First year Claire Loomans (Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest) handled the setting duties for the final two sets and had 16 assists, while senior Sofi Ascencio (San Francisco, Calif./Holy Names) contributed seven kills, five aces and six digs. Brickner and Dillon each had 12 kills to lead the defense. Elyse Wansenried finished with 13 kills for Carleton.

The Scots host the Macalester Invitational this weekend, with matches starting on Friday, Sept. 14.

MAC (1) – 15 14 25 19
Car (1) – 25 25 20 25