ST. PAUL, Minn. - Facing a formidable foe in St. Thomas, the Royals knew they would have to bring their “A” game to Schoenecker Arena if they were to have any hopes of knocking off the #13 ranked Tommies. They did just that, but unfortunately, St. Thomas brought their "A+" game and defeated Bethel 3-2 in their MIAC semifinal match.
Recently named MIAC MVP Liz Glesne (Sr., Underwood, MN) led the Royals with 17 kills on the night, as well as 3 block assists, and a service ace, despite recording a service error on the very first serve of the match.
The last time the two teams met, St. Thomas was able to defeat Bethel 3-0 (30-25, 30-27, 30-27). In each of those three games, the Royals were able to draw close on a few occasions, only to come up short.
Play began in a similar fashion this evening as Bethel and St. Thomas played an even match until the Tommies pulled away to win 30-24.
Bethel fought back hard in the second game – a game which ultimately could have had momentum changing power had it gone the other way. Multiple ties and several lead changes later, Bethel fell just short, 32-30.
Down, but not out, the Royals came back to own Game 3, leading by as many as 8 at one point before winning 30-23.
Game 4 also went Bethel's way, 30-24, giving them some much needed momentum heading into the rubber game of the five-game match.
The see-saw battle between the two teams continued through the first part of the game, but St. Thomas pulled away to lead 9-4 at one point on their way to a 15-10 win to decide the match.
Bethel's other 2007 All-MIAC selection, Laura Naig (Sr., Kasson, MN), had all 46 of Bethel's assists, as well as 9 digs and a block assist. Kayla Smith (Sr., Lakeville, MN), who was just named to the first ever All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team for volleyball, recorded 14 digs and 3 service aces.
Jennifer Stoa (Jr., Brooklyn Park, MN) also had a strong match, as she amassed 10 kills, a solo block, and 5 block assists.
St. Thomas was led by All-MIAC selection Katie McCaffrey with 16 kills, and MIAC Rookie of the Year, Emily Foster, who had 53 of the Tommies 55 assists.
Tonight's match marked the first time all season that St. Thomas had been taken to 5 games by a conference opponent, as they won 9 of their 11 conference matches by a 3-0 margin.
The loss ends Bethel's quest for an automatic bid into the 61-team NCAA Championship tournament. However, they hope that their strong performance tonight, coupled with a 2-1 record in head-to-head competition against nationally ranked Carleton can give them enough leverage for an at-large bid. The Royals must wait until Nov. 5 to find out if they are selected to the NCAA tournament.
