Sophomore Olivia Smith reached double figures in kills twice but the Lake Forest College volleyball team was defeated 25-23, 25-15, 21-25, 25-16 by Luther College and 25-19, 21-25, 25-17, 19-25, 16-14 by Carleton College Saturday during day one of the Association Colleges of the Midwest Tournament at Lawrence University.
Smith pounded out a team-high 11 kills against Luther while junior Olivia Rhodes and sophomore Olivia Drevs added eight and seven, respectively. Senior libero Emily Witz led the Foresters with 18 digs and three aces and Rhodes with 21 assists. Rhodes and sophomore Isabel Donnelly shared team-high honors with three blocks apiece.
Lake Forest led by as many as five points early in the first set before falling behind by five later on. The Foresters eventually regained the lead at 23-22 but three straight points by the Norse ended the set.
Set two was tied at four before a 5-0 run put Luther ahead for good. The Foresters trailed by just three at 18-15 before dropping seven straight and the set.
Lake Forest took 11 of the first 14 points in the third set but Luther chipped away and eventually closed to within one at 22-21. An attack error gave the Foresters a two-point lead and the serve and they closed out the set with a kill Smith and an ace by Witz.
Luther jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the fourth and used a 7-1 run later in the set to extend the margin to 11 points. The Foresters were unable to get any closer than eight points the rest of the way.
Donnelly led Lake Forest with a career-high 15 kills against Carleton while Smith improved on the season-high she set just hours earlier with 14. Witz's 22 digs were also a season-best and she tied Rhodes for team-high honors in aces with four. Rhodes registered 27 assists and Donnelly led the Foresters with five blocks, including four solos.
Lake Forest won the four five points of the match but Carleton took over with a 12-3 run later in the set and eventually closed it out 25-19.
The Foresters trailed 18-13 in set two before an 8-0 run that included all four of Rhodes' aces in the contest gave them the lead. The teams traded points the rest of the way.
Seven straight points by Carleton in the third set helped the Knights take a commanding 22-11 lead. Lake Forest closed to within seven three times but dropped the set by eight.
The Foresters led by as many as eight points in set four and closed it out after Carleton staved off three set points.
Lake Forest had several three-point leads in the fifth and final set and were ahead 14-12 before dropping the final four points of the match.
The losses dropped the Foresters' record on the season to 2-5 while Luther improved to 5-3 and Carleton to 6-1.
The ACM Tournament will continue on Sunday with Lake Forest taking on St. Olaf College at 10:00 a.m. and Macalester College immediately afterwards at noon.
