NORTHFIELD, Minn. — Behind a dominant performance from senior outside hitter Sylvia Dixon, the Carleton College volleyball team earned a 3–1 victory (20–25, 26–24, 25–16, 25–18) over Augsburg University to pick up its first conference win of the season on Wednesday night at West Gym.

"I am so excited to get this win," said Dixon.  "We've definitely had a tough last few games, so it's really a morale booster to get a great win like this."

Carleton (3–15, 1–4 MIAC) dropped the opening set 25–20 as Augsburg (6–11, 1–1 MIAC) used an early 6-0 run to take control. Despite 11 kills in the frame, the Knights were undone by 10 attack errors. Dixon provided a late spark with a pair of kills, but the Auggies held on to take the first set.

The Knights bounced back in the second, rallying from several deficits in a tightly contested frame that featured 10 ties. Trailing 22–19, Carleton used a key service run from junior Rachel Bingham that included an ace and a kill from junior Kate Wiczynski to cap a five-point run and surge ahead.24-22. Dixon capped the comeback with a kill from junior setter Megan Smith to seal the 26–24 win and even the match.

Carleton carried the momentum into the third set, racing to a 25–16 victory. The Knights limited Augsburg to just four kills and a -.125 hitting percentage in the frame while hitting .114 themselves. Dixon again led the charge with five kills, and Smith contributed an ace and a pair of kills as Carleton cruised to a 2–1 match lead.

In the fourth, the Knights closed out the match with one of their most efficient sets of the past two weeks, hitting .200 with 10 kills and only four errors. Dixon and Bingham each tallied multiple kills during a 6–1 run that broke the set open. Smith added a service ace to push the lead to 20–14, and Bingham's final kill sealed the 25–18 win and the match.

Dixon led all players with 19 kills while hitting .447 and added five digs. Bingham filled the stat sheet with nine kills, 13 digs, five aces, and two blocks. Smith posted another double-double, dishing out 34 assists to go with 13 digs, four kills, and two blocks. Defensively, first-year libero Angelina Erhardt anchored the back row with a match-high 26 digs, and senior Ella Curtis-Revelle chipped in 19. As a team, Carleton finished with 48 kills, nine aces, and seven total blocks.

"I think we just went out there and had fun," finished Dixon.  "We play best when we are relaxed, bonding, and having a good time.  The energy was really there tonight."

Head Coach Abby Walton echoed her senior's sentiment, saying "I think for the first time in a while we just had fun.  Everyone played with heart and passion, two things we have been talking about. We also had some players step up, so overall I'm really proud of the girls and excited for them to get to enjoy the weekend."

Up Next for the Knights
The Knights will now get a full week and a half off before they welcome Concordia to West Gym for a 5pm match next Saturday, October 18.