ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Carleton College volleyball team claimed a thrilling four-set victory (25-15, 29-31, 25-23, 26-24) over Bethany Lutheran College on Saturday morning at the Robertson Center to cap day two of the Bethel Invitational.
Carleton set the tone early in the opening set, racing out to an 18-8 advantage behind a dominant three-kill stretch from first-year Alexis Ormsby. Ormsby's stretch capped an 11-3 run to grab the early advantage. Ormsby later put the exclamation point on the set, converting a setup from junior libero Madeleine Dimitre to close out a decisive 25-15 victory.
The second set featured a marathon battle that included 13 ties and six lead changes. Bethany Lutheran forced extra points after rallying late from a 24-21 deficit. The two squads traded blows past the standard 25-point threshold, with kills from Carleton senior Rachel Bingham and junior Ellewyn Swafford keeping the Knights alive. However, back-to-back kills from the Vikings' Abby Maloney capped off a relentless frame to give Bethany Lutheran a 31-29 win.
Carleton responded in another tightly contested third set that saw 14 ties and five lead changes. Down 20-17 late, the Knights mounted a key 3-0 run—highlighted by kills from Swafford and senior Jennifer Bricker—to pull even at 20-20. After trading points to a 23-22 deficit, Carleton secured the final three points of the frame to lock up the 25-23 set victory.
The fourth and final set delivered more drama, as Bethany Lutheran opened on a 4-0 run before Carleton answered with six straight points—anchored by Bricker and sophomore Sami Torresin, who teamed up for a block and had a kill each—to take a 6-4 lead. The Knights built a six-point cushion (14-8), but the Vikings fought back seven straight points to take a narrow 15-14 lead. Back-and-forth the two teams went down the stretch. Tied 20-20, the Knights scored three consecutive points before the Vikings responded with their own three-point run to tie the score 23-23. Tied again 24-24, Carleton delivered under pressure. Swafford and senior setter Megan Smith combined for a clutch block to set up match point, and Bingham smashed home the match-winning kill to secure the 26-24 win.
Ormsby led the Knights' attack with a match-high 16 kills, followed closely by Bingham's 13 and Swafford's 10. Smith put on a two-way show with a match-best 38 assists and 20 digs. Dimitre also provided defensive support with 18 digs, while sophomore Aditi Mukhirala added 11 digs. At the net, Swafford spearheaded Carleton's defensive front with six total blocks (one solo, five assisted).
With the win, Carleton improves to 7-4 on the season headed into a busy week ahead.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will be back in action at West Gym throughout the coming week. The Knights will open their conference schedule on Wednesday night, hosting cross-town rival St. Olaf at 7pm. The Maize and Blue will continue its busy week hosting the Carleton/St. Olaf Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
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