NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton volleyball team captured a split in a pair of matches to cap off the Carleton/St. Olaf Invitational on Saturday afternoon at West Gym. The Knights fell in four sets to Simpson College before sweeping Martin Luther College in straight sets to finish the weekend 2-1.
Match 1 – Carleton 1, Simpson 3
Carleton set the tone early in the opening set, jumping out to a quick 5-1 advantage. Simpson responded with three straight points to pull within one (5-4), but the Knights answered right back with their own three unanswered to take an 8-4 lead. A 6-1 spurt for the Storm put the visitors in front 10-9 and they would not look back. Simpson would not trail the remainder of the set and led by as many at 10 to capture the opening frame 25-15
.
The second set continued the momentum for the Storm. Simpson used a four-point spurt to build an 7-2 cushion and later rattled off three straight to open up its largest lead of the set (16-7). Carleton answered with momentum of its own as junior Ellewyn Swafford registered a pair of kills in a three-point run to trim the deficit to 18-12. Facing set point (24-16), the Knights mounted a four-point run, including back-to-back kills from junior Abby Kvart to close within 24-20. However, a final strike from Simpson's Jada Schmidt closed out the 25-20 win for the Storm.
Carleton bounced back in a spirited third set win. Trailing 2-1, the Knights ripped off a 7-1 run to open up an 8-2 advantage early. First-year
Alexis Ormsby delivered an ace during the push, while senior middle blocker
Jennifer Bricker and Kvart also collected kills. Leading 12-11 later in the match, Carleton took control with a four-point stretch to expand the margin to 16-11
. Simpson fought back to level the set at 22-22, but a kill from senior Rachel Bingham, followed by a double block from Kvart and Swafford set up set point at 24-22. Swafford then put down a clutch kill from senior setter Megan Smith to claim the 25-23 victory for Carleton.
In the fourth set, the Storm got out to an early 6-2 lead. The Knights remained within striking distance behind back-to-back kills from Swafford and a Smith service ace to trim the deficit to 12-10. Four straight for the visitors extended the lead to 16-10, but Carleton would not go quietly. The home team battled back to within two (18-16) behind consecutive kills again from Swafford, but a string of six unanswered for the Storm put the set out of reach for Simpson, which went on to secure the 25-17 win.
Kvart spearheaded the Carleton offense with a team-high 14 kills and added two block assists. Swafford turned in an efficient performance, terminating 12 kills on a team-best .458 hitting percentage alongside two blocks. Smith orchestrated the attack with 32 assists, while registering a double-double with 10 digs. Defensively, junior libero Madeleine Dimitre anchored the back row with a match-high 22 digs.
Match 2 – Carleton 3, Martin Luther 0
Martin Luther jumped out to an early 6-3 lead in the opening frame of Saturday's second match. Carleton quickly responded behind the serve of Rachel Bingham, stringing together a six-point run highlighted by both kills and blocks from Abby Kvart and Ellewyn Swafford to seize an 8-6 advantage. That six-point stretch was part of a larger 9-1 run to open up a 12-7 lead. Ahead 15-12 midway through the set, back-to-back service aces from Alexis Ormsby pushed Carleton's cushion to 18-12. The two teams traded points before Jennifer Bricker delivered a key kill to protect the lead and terminating set point off a Megan Smith assist to secure the 25-19 victory.
The second set featured five ties and three lead changes in a set that featured numerous scoring runs. Trailing 6-2 early, the Knights mounted a 7-0 surge on Bingham's serve, keyed by four kills from Kvart, to pull ahead 9-6. Martin Luther countered with an 8-1 run of its own to take a 15-11 lead, but Carleton answered right back. A 9-3 stretch that was highlighted by consecutive service aces from Ormsby put the Maize and Blue back in front 20-18. Three points later, Carleton led 21-20 and scored the final four points of the set, closing out the 25-20 win.
Carleton controlled the tempo in the final frame, hitting a match-high .417 in set three. Tied 4-4, the Knights took advantage of three straight Martin Luther errors during a stretch on Madeleine Dimitre's serve to pull ahead 7-4. Swafford later extended the lead to 11-7 with an ace. Carleton scored seven of the next nine points to take an 18-10 lead, one it would not relinquish. First-year Raffaella Gardner delivered a late service ace to make it 20-13, before Bricker, along with sophomores Sami Torresin and Cleo Garten closed out the match with three straight kills to seal the 25-16 set victory and complete the sweep.
Bingham paced the Knights' attack with a team-high 11 kills, while committing just one error on 20 swings for a stellar .500 hitting percentage, adding three digs and two blocks. Kvart recorded eight kills on a .400 attack percentage, while Ormsby provided all-around contributions with seven kills and a match-best four service aces. Smith narrowly missed her 12th double-double of the year with 29 assists and nine digs. Dimitre led all players in the back row with 10 digs, and Swafford chipped in six kills and a team-high three total blocks.
In addition to the 2-1 record, the Knights also secured a pair of distinctions over the weekend. Ellewyn Swafford was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, while Abby Kvart received All-Tournament accolades.Â
All-Tournament MVP: Ellewyn Swafford (Carleton)
All-Tournament Selections:Â
Carleton -- Abby Kvart
Martin Luther -- Anna Kieselhorst
Nebraska Wesleyan -- Ella Foote
Simpson -- Brynn Roozeboom
St. Olaf -- Michaela Dooley
UofM Morris -- Natalie Wahl
UW-Stout -- Brooke McCune
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will be back on the road in the coming week. The Knights will take on Saint Mary's University in Winona on Friday night before travelling to Minneapolis for a matchup with Augsburg on Saturday in a pair of key MIAC matches.
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