CARLISLE, Pa. - The Swarthmore College volleyball team overcame an opening set loss to earn a crucial conference win over Dickinson College, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon. The Garnet improved to 4-1 in the Centennial, while the Red Devils dropped to 2-2 overall. 

Isabel Adam, Alexia Enache and Keira Miles all tallied double-digit kills to lead the Garnet attack. Adam paced the trio with a match-high 16 kills, while Enache and Miles contributed 12 and 11, respectively. Madeline Mountcastle helped steady the attack with a match-high 24 assists to go along with double-digit digs. 

Adam played a valuable role in securing an important victory in a tightly-contested second set. With the Red Devils rallying, the sophomore came through with several clutch kills to outlast Dickinson in a must-win set. Adam has recorded double-digit kills in 16 of the team's 21 matches this season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
- In the first set, Dickinson delivered the opening blow with a 7-1 run to create a five-point gap between the Garnet, 12-7. Swarthmore eventually countered with five-straight points, which featured a pair of Adam kills and an Angelina Heminway ace, to even the score at 14-14. The Red Devils would pull away once more, building back their five-point edge. Despite a late rally from the Garnet, Dickinson claimed the opening set with a 25-22 decision.

- Both teams exchanged points to open the second set. Adam helped rally her team with consecutive kills to build a three-point advantage, 12-9. The Garnet kept the Red Devils in check until the team rattled off a 7-1 stretch to tie the game at 22-22. With momentum tilted in the home team's favor, the Garnet buckled down with back-to-back kills from Adam. The Garnet conceded a Red Devils point to cut their deficit in half, but escaped the set with another kill from Adam, 25-23. 

- After falling behind early in set three, Zindzhi Montgomery's kill sparked an 8-2 swing to set the Garnet in motion. Nicole Kim closed the stretch with a service ace to put Swarthmore in front by three points. The Garnet never looked back, building on their lead with a 7-2 rally to create a six-point cushion. Late in the set, Dickinson threatened with a 6-1 run to pull within a couple points, but the Garnet countered with three-straight to wrap up the set. Miles helped shut the door with back-to-back kills to clinch an advantage, 25-20. 

- Swarthmore set the tone early in the fourth set, rallying for seven-unanswered points to bury the Red Devils, 9-2. Enache did most the damage for the Garnet, stringing together three-straight kills to open the set with five total during the match-altering run. Swarthmore built its advantage to double digits on a Maya Sheridan kill as they rallied to a decisive 25-13 victory. 


GARNET LEADERS
Kills: Adam 16
Aces: Heminway, Kim, Eyer 2
Blocks: Miles 2
Assists: Mountcastle 24
Digs: Eyer 19

UP NEXT
The Garnet (13-8, 4-1) return home against Bryn Mawr College on Tuesday.