The Martin Luther College volleyball team swept Macalester 3-0 in its home opener by the scores of 25-20, 25-17, 25-19 on Wednesday in nonconference action.

The Knights started hot on the attack, hitting .400 in the first game on the way to a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Scots scored eight consecutive points to take a 13-9 lead early in the second set, but the Knights roared back to score 16 of the game’s final 20 points to take a 2-0 lead.

In the third and final set, the Knights put the Scots away with 18 kills. First-year setter Camryn Biebert finished with nine assists in the set.

Moriah Hackbarth led the team with 10 kills, while Jade St. Germaine and Kira Grev added nine and seven kills, respectively.

Haley Stade led the team with 15 assists. Taylor Weber finished with 10 digs.

The Knights improved to 5-5 on the season following the win.

MLC will return to action on Saturday when it plays in an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference triangular at St. Scholastica. The Knights will play the Saints in a match starting at 2 p.m., followed by a match against Crown at 4 p.m.

Men’s soccer tops Crown

ST. BONIFACIUS — The MLC men’s soccer team defeated Crown College 3-1 in Wednesday’s UMAC opener.

The two teams were tied 1-1 after 80 minutes, but the Knights scored a pair of late goals to secure the road win.

The Storm took an early 1-0 lead in the 26th minute, but the Knights responded with the equalizer from Joseph Graumann off an Elijah Kroll pass in the 42nd minute to send the game into halftime tied 1-1. The goal was Graumann’s third of the season.

The score remained 1-1 until Joel Koelpin scored his second goal of the season off a pass from Luke Meihack in the 82nd minute to give MLC the 2-1 lead. Minutes later, Meihack added an insurance goal in the 87th minute off an assist from Ryan Plath to get the final 3-1 margin. Meihack’s goal was his second of the season.

The Knights controlled the game on the stat sheet, outshooting the Storm 22-15, including an 11-8 edge in shots on goal. Graumann and Josh Koelpin each recorded four shots for MLC.

Caleb King stopped seven of the eight shots he faced in goal for the Knights.

MLC improved to 2-3 on the season and 1-0 in UMAC play with the win.

The Knights will return to action at 2 p.m. on Saturday when they host Northland in a UMAC contest.

Women’s soccer rolls past Crown

ST. BONIFACIUS — The MLC women’s soccer team opened UMAC play with a 6-0 win at Crown on Wednesday.

The Knights dominated play from the opening kick, outshooting the Storm 41-1 overall and 23-0 in shots on goal.

Martha Balge opened the scoring in the third minute with her first goal of the season, and Morgan Hill scored the next two to give MLC the 3-0 lead. Mary Falck and Balge each had an assist on Hill’s two goals, and Hill now has three total goals this season.

Emily Muir continued the scoring in the 58th minute with her second goal of the season off an assist from Lydia Bitter. Bitter and Kasandra Wagner closed the scoring with goals in the 85th and 90th minutes, respectively. Wagner’s goal was her first of the season, while Bitter now has a team-best four goals.

Erin Feddersen started in goal for MLC before giving way to Maria Tomassetti late in the second half as the two combined for their second consecutive shutout.

The Knights improved to 2-1-1 on the season and 1-0 in UMAC play with the win. Crown fell to 0-5 overall and 0-1 in league play in defeat.

MLC will return to action at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, when it hosts Northland College.