NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton volleyball team fell to Augsburg in three sets to open a two-match home stand this weekend at West Gym.  With the loss, the Knights fall to 6-12 (3-4 MIAC) on the year and remain tied for the sixth and final playoff spot in the league standings.
 
Friday night's opening set was a set of runs.  The Auggies opened the match with a 7-2 run to grab the advantage in the early going before the Knights responded with a 5-1 run of their own to climb back within one point (8-7).  Sophomore Sylvia Dixon got the spurt started with a kill and followed with a pair of service aces to cut into the Augsburg lead.  But the visitors answered with a 7-1 run to crack open a 15-8 lead midway through the opening set.
 
Carleton would not go down easily, as the Maize and Blue scored six of the next seven points to cut the lead back to two (16-14).  Another run, this time a 5-1 advantage, gave Augsburg breathing room once again (23-17) before the Knights made one last push, outscoring the Auggies 5-1 over the next six points to climb back within two (23-21).  But it was not to be, as the two teams traded points down the stretch to give the Auggies the 25-22 opening set win.
 
The second set was all Auggies from the jump.  The visitors opened the frame with a 12-3 advantage thanks in large part to five service aces.  Augsburg went on to score the final three points of the set to win it 25-13 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Carleton scored the opening point of the third set, but again it was the Auggies who grabbed the early advantage (8-4).  The Knights chipped away at the lead, clawing back within two (11-9) before a 7-3 run for Augsburg opened up the largest lead of the frame (18-12).  But the Knights were not ready to lay down.  An 11-3 run brought the home team storming back to take a 23-21 lead and swing the momentum.  Senior Catie Marvin registered a pair of kills and Sylvia Dixon added another ace in the run to give Carleton the edge.  But the Auggies responded and scored the final four points of the set to take it 25-23 and win the match.
 
For the match, the Knights hit a percentage of just .087 compared to .218 for the Auggies.  Augsburg also had the edge from the service line, amassing 12 aces (12-7), while Carleton held the advantage at the net with five blocks (5-3). 
 
Dixon led the way for the Knights offensively with 11 kills.  She also added three aces and a pair of blocks.  Catie Marvin followed with seven kills and three blocks.  Isabel Macia tallied 14 assists and Annelise Sokolow recorded a team-high 21 digs.  Kerrigan Candra put up six kills to go along with three aces and 12 digs on the night. 
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will be back in action again tomorrow night when it welcomes Hamline to West Gym for a 7:00pm start.