Box Score

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Although Bethel clinched a playoff spot with a win over St. Catherine last night, they were tripped up by the last place team in the conference today by a score of 3-2. The Royals entered the match having won nine in a row and 12 of their last 14.

Macalester set the tone early by defeating Bethel 25-16. The Royals, however, were quick to bounce back, taking the next two sets 25-19 and 25-14. But the hosting Scots were resilient and determined to win at home, thus taking the final two sets 25-17 and 15-11.

Bethel did not have as good of a hitting percentage as they have in their previous matches, converting on 44 of their 165 kill attempts, but with 28 errors. Service reception errors were also an undoing of Bethel, as they committed nine for the match compared to just seven for Macalester.

For the second match in a row, Caitie Helle (Jr., Onamia, Minn.) was Bethel's leading hitter, racking up 13 kills, an ace, and two block assists for a total of 15 points. Nicole Wriedt (Sr., Pewaukee, Wis.) also reached double figures for points with 12.5 on 11 kills and three block assists.

Laura Avena wreaked havoc on the Royals all afternoon as the leading scorer for the Scots. She had 23 kills, six aces, a solo block and three block assists - not to mention 15 digs, for a total of 31.5 points.

The loss drops Bethel to 20-7 overall and 7-2 in the conference. More significantly, it drops them out of a four-way tie for first place and lands them in sole possession of second place heading into the final two matches of the season. Bethel is scheduled to take on Saint Benedict at home on Wednesday night beginning at 7 p.m. before taking on St. Thomas next Saturday to close out the regular season.

Stay tuned to the Bethel athletics website for further information regarding the conference playoffs.