ARDEN HILLS, Minn.—Bethel University's volleyball team punched their ticket to the 2014 MIAC Playoffs Wednesday evening with a decisive 3-0 win over Gustavus Adolphus College in the Robertson Center Gym. The Royals' three-set victory took a dramatic comeback in the second set, but began and finished with a 25-18 triumph.
 
BU's thirst for drama was quenched in the second set when trailing the Gusties 23-24. Despite having their backs against the wall, the Royals were able to get a dump kills from Katie Lubben—making it even at 24-24—alongside a kill from Kristin Stern and an error by GAC in the ensuing plays to give Bethel a 26-24 win.
 
The Royals hit .279 as a team throughout the match with 53 digs and 6.0 blocks. Carlee Hoppe had an exceptional performance throughout the conference tilt, finishing the mid-week affair with 13 kills and a .314 hitting percentage.
 
Kali Johnson turned in an all-around performance with nine kills and seven digs, alongside a hitting percentage of .444. Leading the way defensively for the Royals was freshman libero Maddison Messner, who composed 12 digs throughout the match. Kristin Stern led all blockers with one solo block and three block assists.
 
Katie Lubben finished the match with 35 assists and nine digs, while also dropping in two kills on the Gustie defense. Lubben tallied two of Bethel's total five service aces throughout the night.
 
With the win, Bethel advances to the postseason for the 11th time since 1999. The last time the Royals reached the playoffs was in 2012, and it was 2011 when BU was invited to the NCAA Tournament. Bethel closes out its regular season this Saturday with a home contest against the University of St. Thomas at 3 p.m.