NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Macalester College volleyball team continued to show improvement, following up Saturday's near upset of first-place Bethel University with a 3-1 victory at fourth-place Carleton College, 19-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-20 Wednesday night at West Gym. The result keeps the Scots in the MIAC Playoff picture with a 3-6 mark in conference play and an 8-15 record overall. The Knights drop to 14-10, 5-4 MIAC.
Senior setter Hannah Morrow (Raleigh, N.C./Millbrook) registered her 1,000th career dig in the match, becoming the 12th Scot to eclipse 1,000 digs in the program's history.
After losing the first set, 25-19 despite four kills from junior outside hitter Adonia Anene (North Hollywood, Calif./The Buckley School), Macalester battled back in the second set. Trailing 10-8, the Scots reeled off six straight points, including two kills by Anene and a kill apiece from first year outside hitters Channing Smith (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) and Maxine Holmes (San Francisco, Calif./Lick-Wilmerding), to lead, 14-10. Macalester finished strong and led by as many as eight points before taking the set, 25-17. First year middle blocker Siennah Calkins (Tomahawk, Wis./Tomahawk) put away five kills to lead the Scots.
Macalester led for most of the third set and won by the identical score of 25-17. Smith and Anene each registered five kills, as the Scots totaled 14 kills in the set. In the fourth set, Carleton opened with a 7-4 advantage before Macalester found its rhythm, recording 13 of the next 16 points to take control of the set, 17-10. Smith had four kills and Calkins notched three kills in the run, with junior outside hitter Ella Cohen-Richie (Chicago, Ill./Univ. of Chicago Laboratory Schools) serving two aces. The lead grew to 20-12 before the Knights closed the gap to three, 22-19. But the Scots closed out the set and the match by scoring three of the final four points, including a kill by Holmes and a service ace from first year defensive specialist Macy Davis (Portland, Ore./Grant) for match point.
Macalester's 53 kills in the win are the most in a four-set match this season. Smith tallied five kills in the final set and finished the match with a team-best 15 kills to go with 14 digs. Anene notched 13 kills, while Calkins and Holmes each added nine kills and two blocks. Morrow recorded 20 assists and a team-leading 22 digs, with first-year setter Lydia Koshuta (Appleton, Wis./Appleton) contributing 18 assist and eight digs. Davis tallied 16 digs, and Cohen-Richie finished with four of Macalester's 11 service aces. Rachel Bingham had 20 kills for Carleton to lead all players.
The Scots head to St. Peter, Minn., for a tri-match against MIAC foe Gustavus at 12:00 p.m. and UW-Stevens Point at 2:00 p.m.
