WINONA, Minn. – The Carleton volleyball team concluded the season's first weekend of competition with a pair of losses to the University of Minnesota-Morris (3-0) and Marian University (3-1) at the Sugar Loaf Classic, hosted by Saint Mary's University.  The Knights will look for their first win in the home opener Wednesday night against UW-River Falls.
 
Match 1 – Carleton 0, UM-Morris 3
 
Saturday's slate opened with a highly-contested 3-0 loss to the University of Minnesota-Morris.  After the first set went to the Cougars 25-20, the Knights battled in the final two sets, falling 25-23 and 26-24.
 
The opening set saw Carleton out to the first three points, thanks in large part to back-to-back service aces from Isabel Macia (So., Coral Gables, Fla./Divine Savior Academy). With the score 8-5 in favor of the Knights, Morris came back to score six straight points and take an 11-8 lead.  Carleton responded with its own six-point run to take the lead back (14-11).  The dueling runs continued with another six-point spurt for the Cougars to open up a 17-14 lead. Morris then outscored the Knights 8-6 to finish the set and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
Tied 8-8 in the second set, the Cougars created some breathing room with four straight points to take a 12-8 lead.  The lead was 20-15 for Morris when the Knights came roaring back with six straight points to take a 21-20 lead.  A pair of aces from Macia and kills by Sylvia Dixon (So., Vienna, Va./James Madison) and Kerrigan Candra (Jr., Plainfield, Ill./Central) helped spur the run. But the Cougars scored five of the final seven points of the set to take a 25-23 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The momentum appeared to be shifting toward the Knights in set three.  Three straight service aces by Ella Curtis-Revelle (So., Denver, Colo./North) sparked a 9-1 run early in the frame opened up a commanding 13-4 lead in the early going.  But Morris did not roll over.  With the lead 18-9, the Cougars exploded on a 13-3 run to take a 22-21 lead late in the set. Again, Morris finished the set strong, scoring four of the final six points to win the set 26-24 and stamp the match final 3-0.
 
Kerrigan Candra led the way for the Carleton offense with 10 kills, while Sylvia Dixon registered nine kills with a .318 hitting percentage.  Megan Smith (Fy., Salem, Ore./Sprague) racked up 15 assists, while Isabel Macia added 12.  Annelise Sokolow (Sr., Draper, Utah/Juan Diego Catholic) was the only Knight to tally double-digit digs with 10.
 
Match 2 – Carleton 1, Marian 3
 
In the second match of the day, the Knights took on Marian University in the final contest of the weekend.  The Sabres jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and later scored five straight points to open up a 9-3 lead in the early going.  Carleton responded with four unanswered to cut the lead to 9-7, but it was as close as the Knights would come the rest of the way in the opening set as Marian went on to take it 25-17.
 
The second set swung in favor of the Knights.  An early 4-0 burst gave Carleton an 8-4 lead before a 6-1 run opened up a 14-7 advantage.  Later, the Sabres came soaring back with five consecutive points to narrow the Carleton lead to just two points (15-13).  Another 6-1 run for the Maize and Blue gave the Knights a 21-14, but Marian responded with another five-point run to cut the lead back to two (21-19).  Carleton was up to the task this time around, scoring four of the final six points of the set to cap it off with a 25-21 win and even the match at one set apiece.
 
Set three was all about the finish.   The Knights held a three-point advantage early on (11-8), but the Sabres came clawing back once again, chipping away at the Carleton lead.  With Marian now leading 19-17, the Knights scored three straight points including a pair of kills from Kerrigan Candra to regain the lead at 20-19.  But this time, it was the Sabres who finished strong, scoring six of the final eight points to earn the 25-22 set win and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Marian kept the momentum into the fourth set, opening the frame with a 7-1 run.  The Knights battled back, later using a 5-1 run to cut the lead to three (17-14).  Another 4-1 run cut the lead to just two points (20-18) and the Knights were within striking range, but the Sabres again finished strong, closing with five of the final six points to capture the third set 25-19 and the match 3-1.
 
Marian out-hit the Knights, tallying 55 kills to just 33 for Carleton.  Candra led the way with 12 kills, while Rachel Bingham (Fy., Lake Quivira, Kan./Shawnee Mission East) tallied three service aces.  Megan Smith paced the Knight offense, dishing out 22 assists.  Three Carleton players put up double-digit digs, led by Sylvia Dixon with 17.  Elle Curtis-Revelle and Bingham followed with 16 and 11, respectively.
 
Up Next For the Knights
Carleton will be back in action on Wednesday, Sept. 6 in its home opener.  The Knights will welcome the UW-River Falls Falcons to West Gym at 7pm.