ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College volleyball team earned their first victory of the season with a 3-0 sweep of Knox College on the final day of the Macalester Invitational Saturday in the Leonard Center. The Scots ended the tourney with a 3-1 loss to Bethany Lutheran.

The day started well for Macalester, who opened the match against Knox with a 25-22 win in the first set. The Scots continued to hold the upper hand, winning 25-18 in the second set and 25-22 in the third. First year Eliza King (Novato, Calif./San Marin) tallied a career-best 14 kills and a .407 hitting percentage to pace the Scots. First year Zoe Lowe (Longmont, Colo./Longmont) contributed seven kills and five aces, while sophomore setter Claire Loomans (Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest) racked up 27 assists in the three-set win. Defensively, first year Katrina Schoen (Grafton, Wis./Cedarburg) led the way with 18 digs, while senior Hannah Detlaff (Eau Claire, Wis./Eau Claire Memorial) added nine digs.

The Scots' strong play carried over into the match with Bethany Lutheran, as Macalester took the first set, 25-20. In the second match, the Scots came back to tie the score at 24-24, only to have the Vikings hold on for a 26-24 win. The final two sets were close throughout, but Bethany Lutheran was able to outlast the tournament hosts, winning 25-23 and 25-17 to take the match.

Lowe registered a career-high 15 kills in the loss, while King posted 14 kills for the second match in a row. King also had five aces and 13 digs in a solid all-around effort. Loomans tallied 32 assists and seven digs. Schoen paced the defense with 20 digs, while senior Ashley Helfinstein (Sunnyvale, Calif./Homestead) had four total blocks.

King, who averaged 3.5 kills per set this weekend, was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Macalester returns to action on Wednesday, Sept. 11 with a non-league match against UW-Superior. The first serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in the Leonard Center.

All-Tournament Team
Landry Luhring, Central
Kayleigh Fite, Central
Morgan Marxer, St. Olaf
Lauren Rewers, St. Olaf
Mallory Griffin, UW-River Falls
Hannah Robb, UW-River Falls
Eliza King, Macalester
Catessa Duran, Knox

Macalester Invitational, Sept. 6-7, Leonard Center
Friday, Sept. 6
3:00 p.m. – (Court 1): UW-River Falls 3, Macalester 0
3:00 p.m. – (Court 2): Hamline 3, Knox 0
5:00 p.m. – (Court 1): UW-River Falls 3, Knox 1
5:00 p.m. – (Court 2): Hamline 3, Bethany Lutheran 0
7:00 p.m. – (Court 1): Central 3, Macalester 0
7:00 p.m. – (Court 2): St. Olaf 3, Bethany Lutheran 0

Saturday, Sept. 7
10:00 a.m. – (Court 1): Macalester 3, Knox 0
10:00 a.m. – (Court 2): UW-River Falls 3, Central 1
12:00 p.m. – (Court 1): St. Olaf 3, Knox 0
12:00 p.m. – (Court 2): Central 3, Bethany Lutheran 0
2:00 p.m. – (Court 1): Bethany Lutheran 3, Macalester 1
2:00 p.m. – (Court 2): St. Olaf 3, UW-River Falls 1