NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Macalester College volleyball team went on the road to face first-place St. Olaf College in a MIAC match Thursday evening in the Skoglund Athletic Center. The Scots took the first set before eventually falling, 22-25, 25-18, 25-14, 25-19 to drop to 3-17 overall and 0-6 in the conference. The Oles (16-6) remain unbeaten in the MIAC with a 6-0 record.
Macalester's offense was clicking in the first set, with 14 kills and a .263 hitting percentage. The Scots broke a 19-19 tie with two kills from sophomore outside hitter Adonia Anene (North Hollywood, Calif/The Buckley School) and another by sophomore outside hitter Ella Cohen-Richie (Chicago, Ill./Univ. of Chicago Laboratory) to close out the set on a 6-3 run. Anene and Cohen-Richie each had five kills, while sophomore libero Elizabeth Joo (San Jose, Calif./Valley Christian) notched seven of the Scots' 26 digs in the set.
St. Olaf rebounded in the second set, turning a 20-18 edge into a 25-18 win to tie the match at 1-1. Anene and senior right side Avery Rahe (Olathe, Kan./Olathe West) tallied four kills apiece. The Oles took over the third set that was initially tight at 12-10 before St. Olaf closed on a 13-4 run for a 25-14 victory. Anene had three of Macalester's six kills in the set. The Scots trailed by as many as 10 points in the fourth set before getting as close as 23-18, but it was not enough to extend the match and prevent the Oles from winning their sixth straight MIAC contest this season. Anene and Cohen-Richie notched five kills apiece in the final set.
Anene finished with a match-high 17 kills to go with 15 assists, while Cohen-Richie added 12 kills and 12 digs. Rahe ended up with nine kills. Junior setter Hannah Morrow (Raleigh, N.C./Millbrook) delivered 35 assists and a team-best 22 digs, with Joo contributing 16 digs. Lilah Van Scoyoc led St. Olaf with 14 kills.
Macalester continues its MIAC schedule with a home match against Augsburg University on Friday, Oct. 24. The first serve goes up at 7:00 p.m. in the Leonard Center.
