NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton volleyball team put on an offensive show in a 3-1 win over Saint Mary's University on Saturday night at West Gym.  The Knights posted their second-highest hitting percentage (.278) of the season in the win, which pushes Carleton to 11-8 overall and 2-3 in MIAC play.
 
Though it turned into an offensive display, it did not start that way for the Knights.  Instead, it was the visitors who came out firing and took the opening set.  Both teams traded leads throughout the first frame, which featured eight ties and four lead changes.  Carleton led by as many as four (15-11) in the set, but it was a late 7-2 run that gave the visitors the edge (24-21) that ultimately propelled them to the 25-22 win.
 
The Knights came back to hit a blistering .368 in the second set, which was never really close.  Carleton built an early 7-2 lead thanks in large part to three consecutive kills by junior Sylvia Dixon.  That advantage grew to eight points (13-5), then 10 points (19-9), and eventually landed at 25-13 as the Knights closed the door in the second and evened the match. 
 
Saint Mary's grabbed an early lead in the third set, but the Knights came charging right back.  The Cardinals jumped out to the early 6-2 advantage before the Maize and Blue scored six straight to grab the lead right back (8-6).  But Saint Mary's would not go away quietly.  Trailing 12-9, the visitors strung together an 8-1 run that gave them a 17-13 lead as the frame neared the final stretch.  However, it was the home team that finished strong, scoring four unanswered to square things up again (17-17) and eventually go on to win the set 25-23. 
 
Set four turned out to be the clincher and it was all Maize and Blue.  Leading 10-9, the Knights rattled of seven straight points to grab a commanding 17-9 lead.  The run was highlighted by back-to-back aces from junior Ella Curtis-Revelle.  Three points later, it was a string of five straight that put the frame out of reach for the Cardinals.  A pair of kills from Dixon and an ace from junior Isabel Macia helped spur the run, which gave the Knights a 23-11 lead and cleared the path for a match-deciding 25-13 win.  The Knights put together one of their most efficient sets of the season, collecting 13 kills on just 25 attacks with only two errors to post a .440 attack rate.
 
 Sylvia Dixon and sophomore setter Megan Smith led the charge for the Knights.  Dixon led three players with double-figure kills with a career-high-tying 22 kills.  Smith racked up her fourth consecutive double-double and eight on the season with a career-highs in both assists (51) and digs (17).  Sophomore Rachel Bingham and first-year Ellewyn Swafford each had 11 kills to join Dixon in double-figures.  It was a new career-high for Swafford to go along with another career-high six blocks.  Ella Curtis-Revelle added 12 digs and four aces from the service line, and first-year libero Madeleine Dimitre added 16 digs.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will be back in action at West Gym on Friday, Oct. 18 when the Knights host Macalester for a 7pm match.