ARDEN HILLS, Minn.—Bethel University's volleyball team stayed perfect on the season thanks to a pair of wins in their 2015 home opener Friday evening. The Royals overpowered both Buena Vista University and Martin Luther College in straight sets, which improved BU's overall record to 3-0.
 
Bethel began the night with a strong performance against BVU—a team picked to win the Iowa conference. The Royals took care of business in the first, winning 25-9, before gutting out 25-21 and 26-24 wins in the second and third frame.
 
BU hit .276 throughout the match with just 15 errors in 116 attempts. Meanwhile, the Beavers were limited to an attacking percentage of .067. Carlee Hoppe led all players with 14 kills, while her sister, Tina Hoppe, and Tegan LaBerge each finished with eight.
 
Tina added 13 digs to her final line, while LaBerge piled on four block assists. Also, having a solid night defensively was Kali Johnson, who led the team with 17 digs. Kristin Stern and Nicole DeBerry finished the match with seven and six kills, respectively.
 
Katie Lubben and Mikayla Morrow shared the setting responsibilities against Buena Vista. Lubben led all players with 23 assists, while Morrow finished with a career-high 14.
 
Much like the first match, Bethel got off to a strong start in their second contest against Martin Luther. The Royals topped the Knights 25-15 in the first before rattling off a 25-7 finish in the second and a 25-14 victory in the third.
 
BU's offense composed 43 kills on 80 attempts, resulting in a .388 hitting percentage. On the other hand, the Royals defense limited MLC to just 19 kills and an attacking average of .000.
 
16 different members of the Bethel squad contributed throughout the match. Callie Sinclair led the way offensively, tallying 14 kills on 18 attempts. Tegan LaBerge matched her eight in the first match with eight more in the second, alongside a .583 hitting percentage.
 
Hannah Grow paced BU's defense with nine digs, while Sinclair managed seven and LaBerge and Jillian Krier each posted five.
 
Katie Lubben shared her setting duties with newcomer Morgan Johnson in the second match, which resulted in 20 assists for Lubben and 18 for Johnson. Johnson—one of three players on the team from Shakopee High School—also shocked the Knights with three service aces.
 
The Royals hope to continue their winning ways tomorrow when they host No. 21-ranked Nebraska Wesleyan at 1 p.m. and UW-Superior at 3 p.m. Fans can watch the live webcast of all games here.