Kenosha, Wis.—Bethel University's volleyball team was excited about their two showdowns against Top 20 teams Friday evening, but unfortunately the Royals were defeated in both matches. BU dropped their opening contest against No. 8-ranked Carthage College 1-3 before being swept by No. 14-ranked Elmhurst College.
Playing without standout middle blocker
Kristin Stern, Bethel dropped the first two sets against the tournament host 19-25 and 20-25 before upsetting the Lady Reds in set three 25-21. Carthage proved to be too much down the stretch, however, and defeated BU 25-13 in the fourth and final game.Â
The Royals weren't overcome by the first-match loss, as they nearly topped No. 14-ranked Elmhurst in the opening set—losing 23-25. The Blue Jays then held Bethel to 13 and 17 points in the second and third frames.Â
"Despite the pair of losses, we did do some good things today," assessed head coach
Gretchen Hunt. "Not only did
Carlee Hoppe have double-digit kills verses both Carthage and Elmhurst, but
Nicole Deberry and
Samantha Paulon—playing in her first varsity match—both stepped up."
"Additionally, we were able to play 11 to 12 players in each match, which proved to be great experience for our team. We also were able to correct some poor habits on defense, which will help us compensate for Kristin's absence in the upcoming matches. Overall, we truly believe this season has started incredibly well and tonight's setback will not inhibit our goals for the remainder of the year."
The Royals finish the weekend with a pair of nonconference matches against No. 13-ranked Chicago and Carroll University at 10 a.m. and noon. Live stats will be available for both matches and can be seenÂ
here.Â
