Milwaukee, Wis. - The Carleton Volleyball team fell to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in three sets in the opening match of the Milwaukee School of Engineering Invite. The loss drops the Knights to an overall record of 1-8, while the Pioneers improve to 11-4.
 
Carleton came out strong in the first set, finding itself with a 6-2 lead early. The lead continued, and with a service ace from Annelise Sokolow (Jr./Draper, Utah/Juan Diego Catholic), the Knights pulled out to a 14-8 advantage, prompting a timeout from UW-Platteville. The momentum shifted in favor of the Pioneers, who came back on a 7-1 run to tie the set up at 15. The momentum swing continued as UW-Platteville went on to take its first lead of the match. The Knights couldn't quite find their footing, and fell 25-18 in the first set.
 
The second set saw a lot more back and forth, with both teams leading at multiple points throughout the set. Still tied at 18, a long rally eventually concluded in a point for the Knights, putting them up 19-18. However, both teams continued to battle and we were still tied at 24, resulting in extra volleyball. The energy was palpable on both sides, but with a pair of kills, UW-Platteville took the set 27-25.
 
In the last set, Carleton looked to mount a comeback, but found itself down early in the set 10-3. A few good runs put the Knights within three points (13-10), but it was as close as they would get. A 7-1 run from the Pioneers put them up 20-11, and from there the Knights couldn't recover. UW-Platteville took the set 25-15.
 
Kerrigan Candra (So./Joliet, Ill./Plainfield Central) led the way with 10 kills to pace the Carleton attack. Annelise Sokolow (Jr./Draper, Utah/Juan Diego Catholic) also had an impressive game with six kills of her own and four service aces.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will be right back on the court tomorrow with two matches to finish out the MSOE Invite against Nebraska Wesleyan University and Mount Mary University. Then, they return home to face Crown College on Wednesday, September 28th.