ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College volleyball team battled one of the top teams in the MIAC in St. Catherine University over five sets in a classic MIAC match Saturday night in the Leonard Center. The Scots ultimately lost, 24-26, 25-23, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12 and are now 9-11 overall and 1-4 in the conference. The Wildcats move to 14-7, 4-1 MIAC.

Macalester trailed by as many as five points late in the first set and were behind, 23-20 before mounting a comeback. A pair of kills by junior right side Avery Rahe (Olathe, Kan./Olathe) and another by senior outside hitter Adisa Preston (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) ignited a 4-0 run that gave the Scots set point at 24-23. After St. Catherine tied the score, Preston then Rahe registered kills to close out the set, 26-24. Preston tallied five kills in the set to lead Macalester.

The Wildcats won a tight second set, 25-23 despite four kills apiece by Rahe and first year outside hitter Ella Cohen-Richie (Chicago, Ill./Univ. of Chicago Laboratory Schools). The third set also was hotly contested, with the Scots coming away with the win by the same score of 25-23. Cohen-Richie recorded Macalester's last three kills in the set and totaled six kills. St. Catherine built a 23-15 advantage in the fourth set, only to have the Scots score four straight points to pull to within four, 23-19. But the Wildcats closed out the set, 25-23, setting up a fifth and deciding set.

St. Catherine controlled the fifth set early in taking an 11-7 lead. Kills by Cohen-Richie and Rahe, plus a set error by the Wildcats, made it a one-point game, 11-10. The teams exchanged points twice to make the score 13-12, but St. Catherine scored the final two points of the match to win the set, 15-12.

Preston led the way with 19 kills and 17 digs, with Cohen-Richie contributing 18 kills. Rahe added 13 kills and six blocks. Senior setter Nicole Norton (Brussels, Wis./Southern Door) notched 34 assists and 15 digs. Senior libero Torrance Williams (Houston, Texas/Yes Prep Northbrook) tallied 24 digs and junior defensive specialist Sarah Bohrer (Minneapolis, Minn./Edina) added 22 digs, while sophomore middle blockers Alia Sherrow (Chattanoog, Tenn./Baylor School) and Sydney Stratton (North Liberty, Iowa/North Liberty) had five and six blocks, respectively.

The Scots continue MIAC play with a match at Carleton on Friday, Oct. 18. The match begins at 7:00 p.m. in Northfield, Minn.