MINNEAPOLIS –
Annelise Sokolow (So./Draper, Utah/Juan Diego Catholic),
Grace Perret (Fy./Green Bay, Wis./Preble), and
Grace de Benedetti (Sr./San Francisco, Calif./San Francisco University) each tallied double-digit kills as the Carleton College volleyball team swept North Central University, 3-0, in the opening match of the 2021 campaign.
"I'm very proud of our start tonight," said Carleton head coach
Jacki Smith. "After 669 days, it was a very joyful experience to just watch us compete against another team. North Central brought a great crowd and really pushed our hitters to make adjustments around their big block. I think our team had a lot of fun tonight, and it showed in our play."
The Knights (1-0) hit .393 as a team—their best figure since attacking at a .400 clip against Ripon College on Sept. 21, 2019—en route to prevailing by scores of 25-13, 25-10, and 25-21.
Sokolow (13 kills), Perrett (11 kills), and de Benedetti (10 kills) each notched a career-best effort. Senior setter
Inger Shelton (San Diego, Calif./La Jolla) distributed 36 assists, the highest three-set total of her career. Sokolow added a team-best 10 digs for her first double-double.
Carleton never trailed in either of the first two sets, closing the opening stanza with a 13-5 run and using a 18-4 spurt to pull away in the second game.
The Knights trailed 21-20 in the third set before finishing the evening with five consecutive points. The final set saw 11 ties and six lead changes.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton has four matches on the docket at this weekend's Sugar Loaf Classic. The Knights travel to Decorah, Iowa to face Luther College and Edgewood College on Friday, Sept. 3 before concluding the trip with Saturday matches in Waverly, Iowa against Wartburg College and Milwaukee School of Engineering.
