Senior middle blocker Natalie Olson tied her career-high with nine kills to help lead the Forester volleyball team to a grueling 25-23, 13-25, 19-25, 25-21, 15-9 victory over Carleton College at the Associated Colleges of the Midwest Invitational on Friday. Lake Forest had fallen 25-13, 25-25, 25-19 to host Colorado College earlier in the day.
Olson led the visitors with four blocks against Colorado College while junior outside hitter Grace Larson narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with a team-high nine kills and nine digs. Freshman setter Hannah Nauert tallied assists.
Colorado College jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the opening set but Lake Forest quickly battled back to within one at 9-8. Leading 14-12, the home team rattled off 10 straight points and soon finished off the set.
An 8-1 run by the Tigers allowed them to take control early in the second set as well. The Foresters pulled back to within three at 12-9 but go no closer and were outscored 13-6 the rest of the way.
The visitors led by as many as three in set three but Colorado College once again took control with a long run, this time nine consecutive points to make the score 17-11. The teams basically traded points for the rest of the set, which closed out the match.
Larson posted her fourth double-double of the year in the victory over Carleton, leading all players in the match with 13 kills and adding a team-high 15 digs. Olson finished with nine kills, a .333 hitting percentage, three blocks, and three aces. Sophomore Beana Yanovskaya led the Foresters with four aces and was second on the squad with 14 digs while Nauert added a career-high 24 assists.
Yanovskaya served up a pair of aces during a five-point run that gave the Foresters the lead early in the first set. While the Knights closed to within a point or two several times in the set, they were unable to tie the score. The first of freshman Olivia Grimmer's eight kills in the contest made the score 24-21 and the second closed out the opening set win for the Foresters.
Carleton won the first three points in set two and led throughout. Already ahead 18-12, a six-point run by the Knights doubled their advantage and they soon tied the match at one set apiece.
The third set was close early on and Lake Forest later trailed by just one at 14-13. Carleton won the next three points and did not allow the Foresters to earn consecutive points for the rest of the set, which ended at 25-19.
The Knights were ahead 12-11 in the fourth set before a 10-3 run by the Foresters gave them a six-point edge. Carleton won the next four points and pulled to within two again at 23-21. A service error gave Lake Forest a chance at set point and Forster freshman middle blocker Isabel Donnelly came through with one of her six kills in the match. Donnelly led the team with five blocks in the contest.
Grimmer recorded a pair of kills as Nauert served for the first seven points of set five. Carleton got no closer than five points the rest of the way and a block by Olson and senior outside hitter outside hitter Maxie Mottlowitz finished off the match.
Lake Forest is now 3-4 on the season while Carleton fell to 2-3.
The Foresters will try to climb back to the .500 mark for the year when they take on Coe College at the same event Saturday at noon (MT).
