Carleton Knights

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — The Carleton College volleyball team finished off an unbeaten 3-0 weekend at the Macalester Invitational with a pair of wins over the University of Minnesota-Morris (3-2) and the University of Wisconsin-Superior (3-1) on Saturday at Leonard Center. With the wins, the Knights improve to 5-2 on the young season.

Match 1 – Carleton 3, UM-Morris 2
Minnesota-Morris struck first in set one, using a 6-1 match-opening run that featured a kill by Ella Johnson and a Sella Fleming service ace. Rachel Bingham put Carleton on the board with a kill, but the Cougars maintained control until a string of five straight points, highlighted by a pair of kills from sophomore Sami Torresin, tied the opening set at 6-6. Tied 13-13 midway through the frame, UMM scored 12 of the final 15 points, and the Cougars closed out the opening set 25-16.

Carleton answered in a high-intensity, extra-points second set. The Knights created initial separation behind a service run from sophomore Angelina Erhardt that rattled off five straight points for Carleton to open up an 11-8 lead. Two assisted blocks by senior Jennifer Bricker capped off a stretch of three consecutive points to give the Knights an 18-13 advantage. UMM rallied with a 6-1 run to take a narrow lead (25-24), but Carleton responded with four of the final five points of the set that was capped off by a kill from first-year Alexis Ormsby to seal the 28-26 set victory for the Knights.

Carleton carried that momentum directly into the third set. A pair service aces from junior Madeleine Dimitre capped a six-point run, pushing the Knights ahead 8-5. Bingham spurred a 7-1 run to open up an 18-12 lead with a pair of kills and an ace. Though Morris rallied to pull within two points (19-17), Carleton finished strong with the final three points of the frame, capped by a Swafford service ace to take the frame 25-19.

Refusing to go quietly, Minnesota-Morris controlled the middle portion of the fourth set. The Cougars constructed an 18-12 lead that eventually grew to 23-15 and Morris appeared to be on cruise control. But the Knights came roaring back, using a 7-1 run that was led by a pair of kills from Swafford to pull within two (24-22). It proved to be too little, too late for the Maize and Blue, as Morris' Braxtyn Meyer terminated the final ball to claim a 25-22 set win for UMM and force a decisive fifth set.

The Knights saved their most efficient offensive performance for last, hitting .320 in the final set to put the match away. Back-to-back kills from Bricker two more from Ormsby and Swafford gave Carleton early control at 7-3. Bricker then took over down the stretch, smashing three late kills to extend the margin to 13-8. Facing match point at 14-9, Swafford and Ormsby teamed up for a match-ending block to seal the 15-9 fifth-set victory.

Ellewyn Swafford led the offensive attack for the Knights with a match-high 17 kills on a .455 hitting percentage. Alexis Ormsby provided significant firepower with 16 kills, while Rachel Bingham and Jennifer Bricker chipped in 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Senior setter Megan Smith directed the offense with a career-high 53 assists while adding 11 digs for her fourth double-double of the year. Defensively, libero Madeleine Dimitre anchored the backline with a career-high 36 digs to go along with three service aces, while Erhardt added 13. Bricker led the efforts at the net with six block assists and Sami Torresin added five.

Match 2 – Carleton 3, UW-Superior 1
Carleton set the tone early in the opening set of Saturday's second match, jumping out to a 3-1 lead powered by three quick kills from Rachel Bingham. UW-Superior fought back to take a brief 4-3 lead, but Carleton responded with a 4-1 run highlighted by back-to-back kills from Ellewyn Swafford to go ahead 6-4. After the Yellowjackets took a 10-9 lead midway through the frame, the Knights went on a 9-3 scoring run to open up an 18-13 advantage. Carleton kept the pressure on down the stretch, using a late 3-0 run before Sami Torresin finished the set 25-20 with a kill.

The second set proved to be a tight, back-and-forth battle featuring 14 tie scores and six lead changes. Neither side held more than a two-point cushion for most of the frame. Trailing 21-19 late, Carleton launched a critical 5-1 run—bolstered by kills from Ormsby, Smith, and Bingham, and a service ace by Swafford—to earn set point at 24-22. The Yellowjackets fended off two set points to knot the score at 24-24, but Carleton closed it out with consecutive kills from Bingham to seal the 26-24 victory.

UW-Superior extended the match in a dramatic third set. After Carleton built an early lead (9-7), UWS mounted a 6-0 run—utilizing kills from Melissa Hoff and Makenna Hohbein—to surge ahead 14-7. The Knights countered with a massive 8-0 spurt of their own, sparked by three kills from Swafford and a service ace from Aditi Mukhirala, to regain a 15-14 lead. The teams traded punches to a 25-25 tie before UWS claimed the final three points to take the set 27-25.

Carleton quickly regrouped in the fourth set to close out the match. Trailing 8-6, the Knights executed a decisive 6-0 run—spurred by an Ormsby kill, and a Mukhirala service ace—to open up a 12-8 advantage. Carleton would not relinquish the lead the rest of the set. Up 15-13, Carleton put the set out of reach with another 6-0 burst, capped by a Bingham service ace and an Ormsby kill, extending the lead to 21-13 and all but putting the match out of reach. Swafford put the finishing touches on the afternoon, slamming down her final kill to complete the 25-19 set victory and match win.

Swafford and Bingham paced the Carleton offense with 17 kills apiece. Bingham added 12 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. Ormsby added double-digit kills with 12. Smith orchestrated the attack with a match-high 48 assists while adding 16 digs for another double-double. Libero Madeleine Dimitre steadied the backline with a team-high 23 digs and Bricker posted five more blocks.

Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will return home for its next match, a mid-week showdown with Crown College on Wednesday, Sept. 16. That match is set for a 7pm start at West Gym.