North Newton, Kan. — Bethel volleyball battled through a tough five-set match to survive against the No. 7 seed, Saint Mary, advancing to Friday's semifinal match against Evangel for a chance to reach the KCAC Championship match on Saturday.
The match was full of energy throughout, with a student section that was overflowing from the start.
SET 1
Bethel fell behind early, 4-1, but rallied and ended up winning the set in dominant fashion, 25-18. Saint Mary hit .000 in the set and had 12 attack errors. A kill by Saint Mary's Emma Murphy put the Spires up 13-12, but Bethel then rattled off 13 of the next 18 points, which included eight attack errors by Saint Mary.
SET 2
The second set was back and forth, with both teams trading blows throughout. The largest lead either team had was three points, which Saint Mary held early at 6-3. Bethel led 22-21 when Saint Mary called a timeout and rallied to win the set, 25-23.
SET 3
In the third set, Saint Mary jumped on Bethel, leading 17-11 at one point. Bethel then scored nine of the next 11 points, forcing Saint Mary into six attack errors during the run, to take a 20-19 lead. The final points were back and forth, but Saint Mary ultimately won the set, 25-23.
SET 4
Bethel dominated the set throughout, leading 16-3 at one point. Saint Mary made it respectable by scoring four points in a row, but Bethel ultimately took the set, 25-14. Bethel hit .200 in the set and held Saint Mary to a negative hitting percentage.
SET 5
With "Sweet Caroline" playing before the set, the crowd in Thresher Gym was electric and ready for an eventful finale that featured several momentum swings. Saint Mary went up early, leading 7-4. Bethel then rattled off five straight points on junior Alayna Vines's serve to take a 9-7 lead. Landree Merriman came up huge with two impactful kills during the run. Saint Mary did not go away, winning the next four points to take a 12-10 lead. Bethel earned the next point on a Saint Mary attack error to make it 12-11, then scored the final four points on Dylan Cochran's serve to win the match — including a monumental ace to make it 14-12. Thresher Gym became the loudest it's been all year!
Bethel showed an incredible ability to fight through adversity and proved they can win even when it's not pretty. Cameron Offerle once again led Bethel in kills with 13. Landree Merriman came through in big moments all night with timely kills and finished with nine. Freshman Dalaina Schutte tallied 41 assists, and Abby Koontz anchored the back row with 18 digs.
UP NEXT
Bethel advances to the KCAC Semifinals on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. against the No. 3 seed Evangel. This is a rematch from earlier this year when Bethel swept Evangel 3-0 inside Thresher Gym. The semifinal will take place at the host site of the No. 1 seed, McPherson College.
