DULUTH, Minn. – After dropping the first set, the Carleton volleyball team came back to win each of the next three sets to bring home a 3-1 win over the College of St. Scholastica on Wednesday night at Reif Gymnasium. 
 
The win gave the Knights their second consecutive victory and improves Carleton's record to 3-7 on the year on the way to opening the conference schedule 1-0.
 
Wednesday's opening frame went the way of the Saints early, as the host jumped out to an 8-2 lead.  That advantage grew to 11-4 before the Knights rattled off six straight points to pull within one point.  Rachel Bingham (Fy., Lake Quivira, Kan./Shawnee Mission East) spurred the run with a pair of kills to put her team within striking distance. 
 
Later in the set, the Knights led 13-12 before the Saints fired off seven-point spurt to take a 19-13 lead.  Carleton put together a three-point run late in the frame, but the Saints finished it off with a 25-19 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
It was a different script in the second set.  The Knights came storming out of the gate, scoring the first four points and eventually 14 of the first 17 points in the frame to take a 14-3 lead in the early going.  Carleton used three service aces and kills from four different players to grab control of the set.  The Saints tried to claw back into it, putting together a 5-2 run late, but the Knights slammed the door, scoring the final four points of the set to finish off the 25-13 win and even the match at a set apiece.
 
The Maize and Blue kept the momentum rolling in the third set.  Carleton held an early 4-3 advantage before five straight points extended that lead to 9-3.  Four straight kills contributed to the run and the early control.  Leading 11-7 later in the set, the Knights used a 14-4 run to close the set and run away with the 25-11 win and a take a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Carleton jumped out to another early lead in the fourth set.  This time, it was a 7-2 advantage highlighted by back-to-back service aces from Kerrigan Candra (Jr., Plainfield, Ill./Central).  The Saints clawed back within one point (8-7) and even took the lead (11-10), but the Knights responded with a 5-1 run to take a 15-12 lead.  Although St. Scholastica tied it back up at 15 all, Carleton did not trail the rest of the way.  A pair of 4-0 runs for the Knights proved to be the difference down the stretch as Carleton took the fourth set 25-20 and sealed the 3-1 match win.
 
Making her fifth appearance of the year, first-year Kate Wiczynski (Fy., La Jolla, Calif./High Tech High Mesa) made a splash on Wednesday night.  She exploded onto the scene with a career-high 10 kills to lead the way for the Knights.  Her 10 kills came on just 18 attempts for an efficient hitting percentage of .444.
 
Annelise Sokolow (Sr., Draper, Utah/Juan Diego Catholic) and Rachel Bingham followed with nine kills each. Sokolow also registered eight digs.  Katelyn Harder (So., Las Vegas, Nev./Desert Oasis) tallied a career-high 23 digs to lead the way defensively.  Isabel Macia (So., Coral Gables, Fla./Divine Savior Academy) put up 24 assists and also registered four aces and four digs. 
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will be back in action on Saturday when it hosts a triangular with Gustavus Adolphus and Grinnell College.  The Knights will take on Gustavus in a conference match at noon before capping the day against Grinnell at 4:00pm.