WINONA, Minn. — Trailing 2-0 on the road, the Carleton volleyball team pulled off a dramatic reverse sweep, rallying to defeat Saint Mary's University 3-2 (22-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-16, 15-9) on Friday evening inside Saint Mary's Gymnasium. With the win, the Knights collect their 10th win of the season, improving to 10-6 overall and 1-1 in MIAC play.
Saint Mary's took the opening set 25-22 on Friday night. The Knights battled back from an early four-point deficit to level the set at 19-19 following a four-point run served by senior setter Megan Smith. Carleton trailed by as many as five points (18-13) in the set. However, the Cardinals responded by winning six of the final nine points to capture the set and take the 1-0 match lead.
The hosts carried their momentum into set two, utilizing an eight-point run on Brooklynn Bolton's serve to build a 16-10 cushion. Carleton chipped away, coming all the way back to tie the score (18-18) after an 8-2 response. Kills by senior Rachel Bingham, sophomore Aditi Mukhirala and junior Ellewyn Swafford all sparked the Maize and Blue in the run. Saint Mary's won four straight points to earn set point at 24-21. Back-to-back Swafford kills tried to bring the Knights back, but Saint Mary's closed out the frame on an Ayla Olson kill to take a 2-0 match lead.
Carleton sparked its comeback in the third set, staving off a late Cardinals surge. Down 15-13, the Knights mounted a 3-0 run highlighted by a Smith service ace to regain the lead. Trailing 19-18, Carleton took control by winning seven of the final eight points. A pair of service aces from junior Madeleine Dimitre and first-year Raffaella Gardner, along with a kill from first-year Alexis Ormsby and a pair of kills from Swafford sealed the 25-20 victory to keep the Knights alive.
The visitors dominated the fourth set, hitting a blazing .306 while holding the Cardinals to a .075 attack percentage. Carleton bolted out to an 8-2 advantage behind two kills each from Bingham and Swafford. Saint Mary's pulled within 8-6, but the Knights answered with another push to extend the lead to 14-7 and put the set out of reach, outscoring the Cardinals the rest of the way to wrap up the 25-16 set win and push the match to a deciding fifth set.
Carleton carried its dominant play into the final frame, posting a match-high .375 hitting percentage with nine kills and no attack errors on 24 swings. Tied 2-2 early, Madeleine Dimitre anchored a decisive eight-point run on her serve, serving up a sweep of points that included six kills for the visitors, two from Swafford, and one each from senior Jennifer Bricker, Ormsby, Bingham, and Dimitre herself to push Carleton ahead 11-3. Saint Mary's briefly halted the run, but Bingham put the finishing touches on the victory with consecutive kills to secure the 15-9 win and complete the 3-2 reverse sweep.
Swafford powered the Knights' attack with a team-high 16 kills on an efficient .387 hitting percentage, while Bingham added 14 kills, eight digs, and four block assists. Bricker contributed six kills and added four block assists. Smith filled up the stat sheet, putting up 29 assists, while adding 18 digs, six kills, and three service aces. Dimitre anchored the defense with a match-high 24 digs to go along with three assists and a service ace. Mukhirala followed in double-figure digs with 12.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will head right back on the road tomorrow night when the Knights travel to Minneapolis to take on Augsburg at 5pm.
