Northfield, Minn. – Alivia Bryan (Jr./Eugene, Ore./Churchill) posted 16 kills and seven blocks and Beth Freeman (Sr./Richfield, Minn.) added 16 kills and six blocks as 16th-ranked Carleton College defeated the University of St. Thomas, 3-1, in the MIAC Playoff semifinals at West Gym.
Individual game scores were 40-38, 28-30, 30-20, 32-30. The Knights (22-2) advance to the MIAC Playoffs title match to host Concordia College, Moorhead, a 3-0 winner over third seed College of St. Benedict. Carleton is the top seed in the tourney.
Danielle Hargreaves (So./Brandon, Manitoba/Vincent Massey Collegiate) tallied 15 kills and 16 digs for Carleton and Katie Freeman (Sr./Richfield, Minn.) added 13 kills, 14 digs and four blocks. Senior Sarah Barrow (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek) chipped in with nine kills, five digs and two blocks. Jamie Lykken (Jr./Edina, Minn.) led the Knights with 31 digs and three aces and Heather La Chapelle (Fy./Eagan, Minn.) led the Knights with 47 assists.
Erika Wetzel paced St. Thomas (20-14) with 24 kills and 16 digs. Rachelle Dosch added 17 kills and 29 digs and Amie Lee Aschenbeck chipped in with 14 kills and five blocks. It marks the second consecutive season Carleton has beaten the Tommies in the MIAC Playoff semifinals. Kelly Fitzpatrick added 13 kills, 21 digs and three blocks and Sarah Rainey led all players with 57 assists. Aly McConnell had 24 digs.
Carleton will host the Cobbers at West Gym at 7 p.m. The title game is a rematch of last year, when Concordia defeated Carleton to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The winner of Saturday’s match receives the MIAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, set to begin on Nov. 11.
Game one was a thriller, as Carleton had six game points and St. Thomas five. It looked like the host Knights might run away with the game as they broke to 13-8 lead. The Knights still led most of the game and had a 24-22 lead before UST rallied. The Tommies led 29-28 on a Wetzel kill but Hargreaves notched a kill. The Tommies had another chance to close out the game leading 30-29, but Bryan notched a kill and the chase was on. Carleton had four game points after the score reach 30-30, but each time the Tommies responded with kills. The Tommies had chances at 35-34, 36-35 and 37-36, but the Knights got kills from Bryan and Katie Freeman to stave off a loss. A Beth Freeman kill shot made it 38-38, and a bad St. Thomas set and kill by Katie Freeman put game one in Carleton's column.
Game two was nearly as close. The Knights took the early lead at 10-7, but the visitors caught Carleton at 16-16. Carleton momentarily grabbed the lead back at 20-18 on a Hargreaves kill. St. Thomas answered again, regaining the lead at 26-24 after two Carleton errors. The Knights rallied to tie the match at 26-26 on kill shots by Katie Freeman and Barrow, but St. Thomas closed on kills by Dosch and Wetzel to win the game and even the match.
Game three was all Knights, as the hosts raced to an early 8-4 lead, extended it to 18-11 and scored 11 of the game's final 16 points in cruising to its easiest win of the evening. Carleton hit .325 in the game compared to only .116 for St. Thomas, as the Knights committed a mere three errors in game three.
Game four was another thriller, going beyond the normal 30 points needed for victory. Carleton took a 14-11 lead, but the Tommies came back and led 19-17 on a Dosch kill and Carleton error. A Fitzpatrick ace put the Tommies ahead 25-23 and a fifth game looked imminent. A ball-handling error on St. Thomas and kill by Beth Freeman tied the match at 25-25. Aschenbeck stemmed the tide momentarily with a kill, but a Tommie error and kills from Beth Freeman and Hargreaves put Carleton in control at 27-26. Dosch tied the game with a kill and Bryan's kill gave Carleton match point at 29-28. Fitzpatrick answered with a cross-court kill shot, but Bryan answered with a kill of her own. St. Thomas staved off another match point on a Wetzel kill shot, but a costly service error and Katie Freeman kill gave Carleton the game and match.
