EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – For the second time in three days, the Carleton volleyball team used all five sets to pull out a win on Friday night at the Sandy Schumacher Memorial Tournament.  The Knights defeated Marian University to win their second straight and improve to 2-6 on the young season. 
 
After dropping the opening set, the Knights came back to win the second and third before the Sabres evened the match 2-2 and sent it to a deciding fifth set.  Carleton emerged victorious, winning the final frame 15-11.
 
In the first set, Marian held a slight advantage midway through.  Leading 10-8, the Sabres rattled off eight straight points thanks to five kills and an ace.  The run gave Marian an 18-8 advantage, which was all it needed on the way to a 25-17 opening set win.
 
Marian continued to have the momentum in the early stages of the second set.  The Sabres built a 17-12 lead before the Knights responded with five straight points to tie the score.  Back-to-back aces from senior Ella Curtis-Revelle highlighted the run before Marian came right back to score three straight and take a 20-17 lead.  Six points later, the lead was still three for Marian (23-20) when Carleton dug in.  The Knights scored six of the next seven points to come back and win the set 26-24 thanks in large part to three consecutive kills from senior Sylvia Dixon.
 
Even with the momentum from the second set on Carleton's side, the third was nearly a carbon copy of the second.  The Knights led just once in a set that featured 13 ties, but the Sabres held a narrow advantage in the late stages again (20-19).  With their backs against the wall for the second straight set, the Knights again scored six of the final seven points of the frame to take the set 25-21.  This time, it was first-year Sami Torresin who collected a pair of kills to help spur the strong finish.
 
Carleton bolted out of the gate in the fourth set, scoring the first three points and jumping out to a 10-4 lead in the early going.  The Knights led 21-17 late and looked to be on their way to a four-set win, but it was Marian's turn to mount a comeback.  The Sabres scored eight of the final 10 points of the set to keep their chances alive and push the match to a fifth set.
 
In the fifth, Carleton was the first to eight points.  After the two teams switched sides of the net, they traded the next three points and the score was even (9-9).  Back-to-back kills from Sami Torresin gave the Knights a spark and two-point lead (11-9).  Marian scored to narrow the lead to one (11-10), but Maize and Blue sprinted to the finish. The Knights scored four of the final five points and slammed the door shut on a kill from junior Kate Wiczynski to secure the win.
 
Sylvia Dixon led the way for Carleton offensively with a season-high 20 kills.  It was her third straight match in double-figures and 20th of her career.  She also added a pair of aces and eight digs on the night.  Wiczynski followed as the only other Knight in double figures with 10 kills.  Junior setter Megan Smith compiled her third straight double-double with 44 assists and 11 digs.  It was her second consecutive match with 40 or more assists.  Sophomore Madeleine Dimitre anchored the Carleton back line with a season-high 23 digs, while Ella Curtis-Revelle added 17 digs.
 
Up Next for the Knights
The Maize and Blue will be back on the court in Eau Claire tomorrow for a pair of matches.  The Knights will take on Lakeland University at 4pm before finishing the weekend with a match up against host UW-Eau Claire at 6pm.