WINONA, Minn. – The Carleton volleyball team opened the 2023 season with a pair of losses on Friday afternoon at the Sugar Loaf Classic, hosted by Saint Mary's University.  The Knights fell to UW-La Crosse 3-1 before dropping the second math 3-0 to Elmhurst University.  The squad will be back in action tomorrow at 9:00am when it takes on the University of Minnesota-Morris.
 
Match 1 – Carleton 1, UW-La Crosse 3
 
The Knights battled with the Eagles through the early portion of the opening set.  But Carleton took control midway through with a 12-6 run to open up a 22-15 lead.  Five different players registered kills in the run, led by three from junior Kerrigan Candra (Jr., Plainfield, Ill./Central).
 
However, the Knights scored just one point over the final 11 points as UW-La Crosse closed the set on a 10-1 run, including the final seven points to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
Carleton struggled to get going in the second, spotting the Eagles an 8-1 lead to set.  A 6-1 run kickstarted the Knights, narrowing the deficit to just two points (9-7).  With the score 13-11, UW-La Crosse took control, scoring eight of the next nine points and taking a commanding 21-12  lead, one the Eagles did not relinquish in a 25-16 set win to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
After La Crosse built a 16-12 lead in set three, the Knights responded with a 7-2 run to take a 19-18 lead.  Back-to-back points for the Eagles gave La Crosse a 20-19 lead, but the Knights answered with four straight points and held on from there to take the set 25-23.
 
In set four, the Eagles jumped out to a 14-4 lead, thanks in large part to six unanswered points to finish off the run.  From there, UW-La Crosse never looked back on its way to the 3-1 win.
 
For the Knights, Candra and first-year Rachel Bingham (Fy., Lake Quivira, Kan./Shawnee Mission East) led the way with nine kills each.  Megan Smith (Fy., Salem, Ore./Sprague) and Isabel Macia (So., Coral Gables, Fla./Divine Savior Academy) registered 19 and 16 assists, respectively, while Katelyn Harder (So., Las Vegas, Nev./Desert Oasis) and Ella Curtis-Revelle (So., Denver, Colo./North)
 
Match 2 – Carleton 0, Elmhhurst 3
 
Carleton's second match of the day opened with a first set riddled with runs.  With the Knights leading 4-3, Elmhurst rattled off five straight points to take a 9-4 lead.  The Knights answered with five of the next seven points and found themselves trailing by just two points (11-9), but five unanswered gave Elmhurst the edge it needed in what proved to be a 25-17 opening set win for the Bluejays.
 
Set two opened in Elmhurst's favor, as the Bluejays bolted out to a 10-5 lead.  Carleton battled back, scoring four consecutive points and was within one before Elmhurst answered with its own four-point run to take a 14-9 lead.  The Knights came as close as four (20-16), but the Bluejays scored five of the final seven points of the set to take a 25-17 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The third set went the way of the Bluejays as well, controlling it wire to wire.  The set was tied once (4-4) and Carleton battled within four points (14-10) midway through, but Elmhurst closed the set on an 11-5 scoring spurt to take the deciding set 25-15 and secure the 3-0 win.
 
Kerrigan Candra again led the way offensively for the Knights, totaling nine kills.  Senior Annelise Sokolow (Sr., Draper, Utah/Juan Diego Catholic) followed with eight.  Megan Smith was the only setter to tally double-figure assists with 10, while Katelyn Harder put up a career-high 18 digs.
 
Carleton hit just .134 as a team, while the Bluejays totaled a hitting percentage of .337.
 
Up Next for the Knights
The Knights will be back in action tomorrow in Winona for two more matches to close out the Sugar Loaf Classic.  Carleton takes on the University of Minnesota-Morris at 9:00am before finishing the weekend against Marian University at 11:00am.