NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton volleyball team secured its 10th win of the season in a sweep over non-conference opponent Crown College on Tuesday night at West Gym.  With the win, the Knights reach double-digit wins for the first time since 2018.
 
Tied 4-4 in the early going of Tuesday night's opening set, Carleton sprinted out on an 8-2 run that gave the Knights a 12-6 lead, from which they would never look back.  Though Crown pulled within three points (14-11) midway through the set, the home team stepped on the gas, finishing the set on an 11-2 run to close out the opener 25-13.  Back-to-back service aces from sophomore Megan Smith helped fuel the run early on.  Sophomore Jennifer Bricker and junior Sylvia Dixon both had a pair of kills as well to aid the home team in slamming the door closed.
 
Carleton again used a run midway through the second set to add to its advantage.  Leading 8-7, the Maize and Blue rallied with a 10-2 run to crack things open and double up the visitors 18-9.  Four different players registered kills in the run, which all but put the set away.  The Polars answered with four straight points, but the Knights scored six of the final nine points of the set to take the second 25-17.  First-year Abby Kvart helped close things out with a pair of kills, including the deciding point to help her team take the 2-0 match lead.
 
The Polars gained some momentum in the third set.  Trailing 5-4, Crown scored five straight to open up a 9-5 lead, its largest of the night.  The lead was three points (11-8) a handful of points later when Carleton rattled off six unanswered to grab a 14-11 lead thanks in large part to three kills from sophomore Rachel Bingham.  The Polars responded scoring three of the next five points to claw back within two (16-14), but the Knights closed the door once again with a 9-1 run to finish things off.  Bricker recorded a pair of aces, while sophomore Kate Wiczynski and first-year Ellewyn Swafford each tallied a pair of kills in the run, which put the finishing touches on the night, taking the set 25-15 and the match 3-0.
 
On the night, Carleton tallied 46 kills with 17 errors on 130 attacks for a hitting percentage of .223, its highest in the previous eight matches.  Crown hit .030 as the Carleton defense held the Polars to just 17 kills for the match.  The Knights also held the edge in aces (9-2) and blocks (5-3).
 
Rachel Bingham and Kate Wiczynski led the way offensively for the Knights with eight kills each.  Sylvia Dixon followed with seven.  Jennifer Bricker posted three aces and four blocks, while Megan Smith and junior Isabel Macia each recorded double-doubles.  Smith tallied 20 assists and 13 digs along with 10 assists and 10 digs for Macia.  Senior Kerrigan Candra recorded a team-high 13 digs.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton is now headed into a busy weekend on the conference schedule.  The Knights will cross the river to face crosstown rival St. Olaf in the Battle for the Bell on Friday night at Skoglund Center at 7pm.  Carleton will return home to host Saint Mary's Saturday evening in West Gym at 5pm.