ST. PAUL, Minn. – In an exciting, back-and-forth affair, the Macalester College volleyball team came up just short against Carleton College in a MIAC match Friday night in the Leonard Center. The Scots, who lost 25-23, 19-25, 13-25, 25-17, 15-13, fall to 7-12 overall and 1-5 in league play. The Knights improve to 6-11, 3-3 MIAC.

In a tight first set, Carleton built a 19-14 lead and held off a Macalester comeback attempt that cut the lead to one point four times down the stretch. Junior outside hitter Adisa Preston (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) had four kills, while sophomore right side Avery Rahe (Olathe, Kan./Olathe West), first year outside hitter MiLani Terrell (Cypress, Texas/Tomball Memorial) and first year middle blocker Sydney Stratton (North Liberty, Iowa/Liberty) each had three kills in the set. The Scots built an early lead in the second set and finished strong to earn a 25-19 win. Preston again led the way with five kills.

Preston continued to dominate offensively in the third set, tallying seven kills in a lopsided 25-13 victory. Preston hit .600 to help Macalester record a .233 hitting percentage for the set. With the Scots one set away from taking the match, the two teams battled in the fourth set that saw the score tied 12 different times. After Macalester won a long point that ended on another kill by Preston to make the score 16-15 Scots, the Knights reeled off nine consecutive points in a 10-1 run to force a fifth set, 25-17.

In the final set, Macalester surrendered the first two points before scoring five straight, including kills by Terrell and Preston, to lead 5-2. A kill by junior middle blocker Stephanie Geber (Oviedo, Fla./Oviedo) sandwiched by two Carleton errors extended the lead to 8-3. Five consecutive points by the Knights tied the score at 8-8, then kills by Rahe and Geber put the Scots back on top, 10-8. Again Carleton tied the set, only to have Terrell record a kill. Three Macalester attack errors and a kill by Sylvia Dixon made the score 13-11 Carleton. Another kill by Geber was followed by a kill by Dixon, setting up match point for the Knights. Macalester staved off defeat for one point, but Dixon came through one last time to give Carleton a 15-13 victory.

Preston finished with 20 of Macalester's 56 kills in the match. Terrell registered a career-high 14 kills, while Geber contributed 10 kills. First year setter Hannah Morrow (Raleigh, N.C./Millbrook) delivered 49 assists and had 16 digs. The defense was led by junior libero Torrance Williams (Houston, Texas/Yes Prep Northbrook) with 21 digs and junior Nicole Norton (Brussels, Wis./Southern Door) with 20 digs. Dixon and Kerrigan Candra each had 11 kills to pace the Knights.

Macalester plays a non-conference match against UW-Stout on Tuesday, Oct. 17. The match begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Leonard Center.