NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton volleyball team got career-high performances from three different players to push the Knights past St. Scholastica 3-1 Friday night in West Gym. 
 
Leading 2-1, Carleton captured a thrilling 33-31 win in the fourth set to take the match and improve to 9-5 overall (1-1 MIAC) on the year.  Sophomores Megan Smith and Jennifer Bricker, along with first-year Ellewyn Swafford each posted career highs in the win.
 
Tied 4-4 in the early going of Friday's opening set, the Knights scored four straight points to jump out to an early 8-4 advantage as a pair of Katelyn Harder aces highlighted the stretch.  The lead climbed to as many as seven (17-10) before a 5-1 run for St. Scholastica narrowed the gap to three (18-15).  Later leading 20-17, the Knights scored the final five points of the set to take the lid lifter 25-17.  Jennifer Bricker collected a pair of kills in the run to help give her team the early 1-0 lead in the match.
 
St. Scholastica led wire-to-wire in the second set, jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead and never looking back.  Five straight points later pushed the lead to eight (12-4), which proved to be the largest of the frame.  But the Knights would not go quietly.  Trailing 22-15 late in the set, the home team put together a 5-1 spurt.  A pair of kills from junior Sylvia Dixon helped bring Carleton back within three (23-20), but the comeback was not to be as the Saints scored the final two points of the set to even the match at one apiece.
 
A late run for the Maize and Blue proved to be the difference in the pivotal third set.  The visitors used five straight points to grab an early 5-2 lead before Carleton tied things back up.  A string of five straight later gave the Knights a 13-8 lead, but the Saints responded in kind and tied things back up 14-14.  From there, the Knights took advantage of a St. Scholastica miscue to spark a 10-3 run that proved to be the deciding factor in the third set.  Sophomore Kate Wiczynski and senior Kerrigan Candra each had a pair of kills in the run, which gave Carleton a 24-17 lead.  Candra put the finishing touches on the frame two plays later, putting the finishing touch on a 25-19 win to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
The West Gym crowd was treated to a thriller in the fourth and final set of the night.  Back-and-forth throughout, the Knights appeared to take control.  Leading 19-18, back-to-back kills from Wiczynski and a kill from Ellewyn Swafford sparked a 4-0 run the pushed the lead to five (23-18) late in the frame.  But the Saints responded with a 7-1 run to flip the momentum and take a 25-24 lead.  Trailing 26-25, Carleton scored consecutive points to re-gain the lead only to have the Saints take it right back with consecutive points of their own four points later.  Trailing 30-29, the Knights went on to score four of the final five points, including surviving long rallies to weather the storm and slam the door closed on the visiting Saints in a thrilling four-set victory.
 
Carleton flexed the advantage in all major statistical categories in the match, including 57-49 advantage in kills, 10-6 edge in aces, and doubling up the Saints in blocks (12-6).  The Knights also hit .186 on the night to just .129 for St. Scholastica.  Sylvia Dixon led the way for the Knights with a 19-kill, 11-dig double-double, but it was career nights from the youngsters that proved to be the difference.  Sophomore Jennifer Bricker came up big with a career-high 10 kills to go along with six blocks on the evening.  First-year Ellewyn Swafford finished with double-figure kills for the first time in her collegiate career with 10 and added five blocks.  Kerrigan Candra proved her versatility with nine kills, five blocks, and 23 digs, while first-year Madeleine Dimitre led all players with 25 digs.  And sophomore Megan Smith put up a career-best 46 assists as the featured setter for the match.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will head back on the road next Wednesday for a non-conference contest against UW-Stout in Menomonie, Wisconsin.  That match is set for a 7pm start.