Box Score

ST. PETER, Minn. - Bethel entered tonight's match-up with conference foe Gustavus looking to bounce back from an 0-6 start in the conference. The Royals came out with a spirited effort and were able to roll and take the match 3-0 from the Gusties.

Bethel came out fast and gained the momentum by jumping out to an early 10-4 lead in the first set and never looked back, winning 25-16.  Gustavus was able to stay with Bethel early in both of the next two sets, but Bethel refused to be overtaken and pulled away late in both, taking them 25-17 and 25-18.

The Royals were led offensively by Amy Werner (Fr., Three Lakes, Wis.) and Nicole Wriedt (So., Pewaukee, Wis.) who were able to total 12 and 10 kills, respectively.  Betsy Naatjes (Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) commanded the offense and totaled up 39 of Bethel's 40 assists on the night.

Along with the solid offensive performances, the Royals' defense put up a well-balanced effort to shut down the Gusties.  Valerie Smith (Fr., Alexandria, Minn.) led the Royals with 13 digs and was one of three players who tallied up double digit totals on the night, joined by Wriedt and Bethany Shearer (Sr., Prior Lake, Minn.).

With the win, Bethel improves their record to 8-14 overall and 1-6 in MIAC play.  The loss drops Gustavus to 9-14 overall and 2-5 in conference.  This weekend the Royals will look to build on this win as they travel to UW-Oshkosh for their final tournament of the regular season.  Their first game will be at 3:30 p.m. on Friday against Illinois-Wesleyan University.