NORTHFIELD, Minn.  – The Luther College volleyball team was poised for a perfect day at the Carleton Triangular. Coming off one of their best American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) performances of the season, the Norse were primed and ready to take two from their nonconference opponents Macalester College and Carleton College. Sadly, Luther came up short in its two matches in Northfield, Minnesota, falling to the Scots 3-0 (20-25, 18-25, 13-25) and the Knights 3-1 (22-25, 23-25, 26-24, 19-25). With the losses, the Norse's overall record is 4-13 and they are 0-3 in A-R-C play. 

MATCH #1: Luther (0) vs. Macalester (3) 
Luther's offensive efforts were led by Emily Hagen (Owatonna, Minn. / Owatonna) in the day's opening match against Macalester. The sophomore outside paced the team with 10 kills through the first two sets, hitting well over .400 through most of the match. Other than Hagen, though, the Norse struggled to get anything going offensively, as they dropped the first set 25-20 and the second 25-18. 

Luther's attempt to rally in the third set also came up short, despite an offensive push from Emma Kowalczyk (Colgate, Wis. / Catholic Memorial). The sophomore setter jolted the Norse offense, setting up Hannah LaBonte (Lake City, Minn. / Lincoln) and several other key hitters in the third. Despite the team's best attempts, the Scots still jumped out to a 16-6 lead, as Luther's serve receive struggles followed the team to Northland. The Norse were also unable to capitalize on their offensive chances before they even started. As a team, Luther recorded nine serving errors compared to six errors, including a handful at crucial moments in the third set.

Despite serving struggles, the Norse tried to rally in the third set. Down 24-10, Luther rallied off three consecutive points, using kills from Kowalczyk and blocks by LaBonte and Hagen to whittle the Macalester lead to 24-13. The double-digit deficit, though, was just too much to overcome, as the Scots eventually claimed the set 25-13 and the match 3-0 (20-25, 18-25, 13-25). 

MATCH #2: Luther (1) vs. Carleton (3) 
The Norse looked to rebound in a big way against Carleton, and nearly did so in one of their most tightly contested matches of the season. Luther never trailed by more than two points in the opening set of the match, eventually gaining a 15-12 advantage over the Knights on an ace by Karoline Tui (Gilberts, Ill. / Hampshire). However, Carleton would later put together a rally of its own, tying the match at 16-16 before leading 22-20 late in the set. Still, Luther seemed to keep pace with its host, as Hagen pulled the Norse within one at 22-21. It was the closest Luther would come to catching the Knights, as Carleton claimed the first set 25-22.

The Nose found themselves playing catch up in the second set, as the Knights jumped out to a quick 8-4 lead. Luther never quit, though, and used a five-point serving run by Kasandra Keller (Kenyon, Minn. / Kenyon-Wanamingo) to close the gap to 20-18 late in the set. Hannah LaBonte (Lake City, Minn. / Lincoln) tallied the only Norse kill in the rally, as Keller's serve was so effective, it forced multiple Carleton hitting errors. Though the Knights eventually regained control, they were unable to snag the momentum from Luther, as the team tied the set 21-21 on an ace by LaBonte. 

Sarina Stortz (Mabel, Minn. / Mabel-Canton) nearly one the set by herself, having a hand in two of the final three points of the match. Sadly, Stortz' firepower wasn't enough to fuel the Norse to victory, as Carleton took a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-23 win in the second. 

Luther finally got over the hump in set number three, as the team claimed a thrilling 26-24 victory from its opponent. On the hot hand of Keller, the Norse raced out to a 5-0 lead and extended it to 8-2. However, Luther found itself in a tough serve receive rotation, and the Knights took advantage, scoring seven consecutive points to cut the Norse lead to 8-7. From that point on, neither team led by more than two points until Carleton went ahead 19-16 late in the set. Again, Luther rallied, tying the set with back-to-back aces from Kowalczyk before taking a 24-21 lead on a kill by LaBonte. 

Naturally, the Knights made things interesting, tying the set at 24-24 with a serving run of their own, but it was no harm, no foul for the Norse. Luther would go on to win the next two points, forcing a fourth set with a 26-24 win. Unfortunately, the win is set four was not enough to turn the tides for the Norse in the match, as Carleton won the fourth set 25-19 to take the match 3-1 (22-525, 23-25, 26-24, 19-25). 

TOP NORSE 

• Emily Hagen (Owatonna, Minn. / Owatonna) hit double-digit kills in both matches for the Norse Saturday afternoon, leading the team with 10 and 14 kills in each match respectively. Hagen also recorded a double-double against the Knights with 14 kills and 11 digs. 
• Emma Kowalczyk (Colgate, Wis. / Catholic Memorial) recorded a career-high 40 assists in the fout-set match against Carleton and tallied 26 against the Scots.  
• Kyah Olson-Sola (Northfield, Minn. / Northfield) led the team with 11 and 17 digs respectively, while Kasandra Keller (Kenyon, Minn. / Kenyon-Wanamingo) adde 14 against the Knights. 

UP NEXT
Luther will return to Regents Center for its next match, as the team is set to host Saint Mary's University in another nonconference match. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT in Decorah, Iowa. 

For all the latest on Luther Volleyball, stay tuned to luthernorse.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.