The Knights lose the midweek game against Augsburg 3-1

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Carleton volleyball team lost a midweek game to Augsburg University 3-1 on Wednesday night at Si Melby Hall. The Knights fall to 11-10 overall and 2-5 in the MIAC.

After missing the last two games due to injury, Sr Kerrigan Candra was welcomed back into the lineup with a kill, opening the first score of the match. The point gave Carleton the early 1-0 lead, but it would be one of the few bright spots for the Knights in the early stages as Augsburg jumped out to a 17-5 lead and never looked back en route to a 25-12 opening set victory.

The Knights found their rhythm in the second set and tied the game with a hard-fought win. Although the Auggies took an early 7-2 lead, Carleton battled back. Four points in a row for the Knights brought the guests back to a lead (7:6) and the hunt was on. Later in the set, the Auggies used another four-point run to take a 15-10 lead. That lead was reduced to three (22-19) when the Knights went on a 4-1 run to close the set at 23-23. The run was capped by a kill from Candra, giving the Knights the spark they needed to win the set. Although Augsburg scored and took a 24-23 lead, Carleton scored the final three points of the set and tied the game with a 26-24 win in the second frame.

Carleton maintained the upper hand early in the third set, this time using a slight 11-9 lead to open the frame. But a 10:3 run by Augsburg turned the momentum around and gave the hosts a lead of 19:14. The Auggies led by as many as six (24-18) before taking the third set 25-20 to take a 2-1 lead in the game.

With his back against the wall, Carleton stormed out of the gate in the fourth set. The Knights took a 6-2 lead after two kills from Candra and another from the sophomore Rachel Bingham. Two points later they were 7-3 ahead, but now it was Augsburg’s turn to respond. This happened in the form of another 10:3 run, which shifted the lead back to the home team (13:10). The Auggies held on to a one-point lead six points later (15-14) before ticking off six unanswered points to build a 21-14 lead and put pressure on the Knights, who wouldn’t go away quietly.

Thanks to a 9-2 run when they needed it most, the Knights came all the way back and tied the set at 23-23. The Maize and Blue were killed by three different players in the run to regain the momentum. A kill for the Auggies put the home team back in the lead, but the Knights answered right back with a first-year kill Ellewyn Swafford. A kill for Augsburg was disallowed when the following serve went wrong and the score was 25:25 again. But back-to-back kills from Augsburg’s Bri Van Well shaped the match finale with a 27-25 win in the fourth set that clinched the game 3-1 for the host Auggies.

Candra led the Knights in kills with 14 in her return, hitting .306 on the night. Bingham and Junior Sylvia Dixon 10 kills each followed, while Swafford recorded six blocks. Sophomore setter Megan Smith powered the Carleton offense with 34 assists and 10 digs for her fifth double-double in the last six games. Junior Ella Curtis Revelle led the Knights defensively with 13 digs.

Next come the knights

Carleton will be back in action Saturday night when the Knights travel to St. Paul for the MIAC showdown with Hamline University at Hutton Arena. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.