CHICAGO, Ill. – The Carleton volleyball team opened the 2024 season by splitting a pair of matches in the Rosalie Resch Invitational on Friday, hosted by the University of Chicago.  The Knights captured a straight-set win over Lawrence University before falling to North Central (Ill.) in the second match.
 
Match 1 – Carleton 3, Lawrence 0
 
Carleton exploded out of the gate to begin the 2024 season.  The Knights scored the first four points of the opening set.  Sophomore Megan Smith got things off to a hot start with an ace on the first serve of the year.  The lead expanded to 7-1 and eventually 13-4 on the way to a 25-15 win in the first set.  The Maize and Blue racked up five service aces in the opening frame, all of which came in the first 13 points. 
 
Lawrence scored the first point of the second set before the Knights scored five of the next six points to open up a 5-2 lead.  The Vikings came back to take the lead, which they held until late in the set.  Trailing 20-14, Carleton used a block by sophomore duo Kate Wiczynski and Jennifer Bricker to spark an unprecedented run.  The Knights scored 10 straight points behind the strong serving of junior Sylvia Dixon.  The spurt took the wind out of the sails of the Vikings as Carleton took the second set 25-21.
 
The Knights kept rolling in the third set, opening the frame with five straight points.  Smith started things off with another ace, as the Maize and Blue sprinted out to an 18-6 lead.  Lawrence responded with seven consecutive points to pull within 18-13.  Later in the set, another seven-point run drew the score to 24-22, but a kill from Dixon punched the final point in the match to give the Knights a 3-0 win.
 
Both teams struggled hitting in the contest.  The Knights totaled 29 kills with 21 errors on 91 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .088.  The Vikings did not fare any better, collecting 26 kills with 20 errors on 102 attacks for a hitting rate of .059.  Carleton also flexed a major advantage at the service line, putting up 14 aces to just three for Lawrence.
 
Senior Kerrigan Candra led the way with nine kills and 12 digs for the Knights.  Sylvia Dixon recorded three aces, while first-year Ellewyn Swafford made a splash in her collegiate debut with four blocks.  Megan Smith and junior Isabel Macia both totaled double-digit assists with 12 and 10, respectively.
 
Match 2 – Carleton 0, North Central (Ill.) 3
 
Friday's second match opened with a 5-1 advantage for North Central.  The Knights clawed back, eventually using a 6-1 run to tie the frame at 17 apiece.  Tied 19-19, Carleton scored three straight points to open up a 22-19 lead late in the set.  But the Cardinals responded in a big way, scoring five straight points and six of the last seven to take the opening set 25-23.
 
North Central again opened up an early lead in the second set, this time a 4-1 advantage.  The Cardinal lead continued to grow, expanding to 13-8, then 17-9, and eventually 23-15.  But the Knights would not go away quietly.  Carleton went on an 8-1 run when it needed to the most, held steady by the serving of sophomore Rachel Bingham.  The run brought the Knights within one point (24-23) before a kill for the Cardinals ended the second set.
 
Trailing two sets to none, it was the Knights that took an early advantage in the third set.  Carleton opened up a 4-1 lead thanks in large part to back-to-back kills by Kate Wiczynski.  The Cardinals clawed their way back to take a 15-13 lead before the Knights used a 7-1 run to take the advantage back, 20-16.  Carleton pushed forward, taking a 23-20 lead late in the set, but North Central scored the final five points of the set to take the frame and the match.  
 
Carleton registered 30 kills in the match on a .120 hitting percentage, while North Central hit .162 with 44 kills. 
 
Kerrigan Candra was the only Knight to tally double-figure kills with 10 to go along with seven digs.  Ellewyn Swafford recorded three blocks, while Isabel Macia (13) and Megan Smith (11) both put up double-figure assists.  Ella Curtis-Revelle led the Knight defense with 17 digs and first-year Madeleine Dimitre registered 10. 
 
Up Next for the Knights
The Knights will be back in action again tomorrow at the Rosalie Resch Invitational.  They will take on Alma College at 10am, followed by a 12:30pm showdown with the host, University of Chicago.