BOX SCORE VS. LAKEHEAD UNIV.
BOX SCORE VS. UW-SUPERIOR
SUPERIOR, Wis. - The Royals volleyball team went 2-0 in non-conference action at the UW-Superior Tournament on Friday evening, with
Nicole Wriedt (Sr., Pewaukee, Wis.) continuing to dominate offensively with 30 kills on the day. They defeated Lakehead University from Canada, and host UW-Superior, both by scores of 3-1. Two more matches are due up on Saturday.
Bethel took to the court slowly in their first set of the weekend, hitting just .133 in a set loss to Lakehead. They came back in a commanding fashion to take the next three sets, however, 25-13, 25-14, 25-11. The squad combined for a whopping .632 hitting average in the fourth set, getting four kills from Wriedt and three from
Haley Toter (Sr., Park Ridge, Ill.). The team did not commit a single hitting error in the last set.
The Royals were led in the match by Wriedt with 13 kills and
Caitie Helle (Jr., Onamia, Minn.) with 10. Valerie Smith (Jr., Alexandria, Minn.) scooped up a team high 19 digs, while Wriedt added 10. Helle had a team high seven blocks in the win, the Royals out-blocking their opponent 7-2. It should be noted that because Lakehead is a Canadian university, Bethel's win against them does not count toward its overall season win total and is regarded as an exhibition game, per NCAA rules.
Bethel's win over UW-Superior also took four sets to decide and had scores much closer than the first match of the day. The Royals took a 2-0 lead before UWS came back in the third set, but Bethel came back to win the match in the fourth (25-21, 25-20, 22-25, 25-20).
Defense was a big part of the Royals win. They fended off UW-Superior with the help of nine team blocks, four of which coming from Helle and Amy Werner (Jr., Three Lakes, Wis.) each. Smith topped all players with 25 digs.
Kate Smith (Sr., Arden Hills, Minn.) guided the offensive effort with 40 assists. Wriedt was the only Bethel player to finish in double figures for kills with 17. Wriedt has notched double figures for kills in eight of her last nine matches.
Bethel continues play on Saturday against Finlandia and Augsburg (non-conference).
