ARDEN HILLS, Minn.—Head volleyball coach Gretchen Hunt and her squad have lived up to the preseason hype thus far, as Saturday's sweep over No. 21-ranked Nebraska Wesleyan and UW-Superior helped the Royals improve to 5-0 on the year.
 
The Royals utilized the momentum from yesterday's pair of wins to propel them to a 3-0 victory over No. 21-ranked Nebraska Welseyan in their opening match of the day. Bethel topped the Prairie Wolves 25-18 in the first, then 25-15 in the second, and finally 25-14 in the third.
 
Katie Lubben and Mikayla Morrow each finished with 16 assists throughout the match. Morrow also stunned NWU with four service aces and eight digs. Leading the Royals from the back row was Kali Johnson, who recorded 17 digs and two aces.
 
Two hitters tallied double-digit kills, including middle blocker Kristin Stern and outside hitter Carlee Hoppe. Stern posted perhaps the highest hitting percentage in program history for a single match, as she finished with 14 kills in 16 attempts (.812)*. Hoppe mustered 11 kills, while she and Tegan LaBerge each added three block assists.  Bethel hit .250 for the match, posting 38 kills and 13 errors in 100 attempts.
 
The Royals continued their firepower in the second match by defeating UW-Superior in straight sets—something that happened in every match of the weekend. BU made quick work in the first, winning 25-16, before topping the Yellowjackets 25-17 and 25-21 in the second and third set.
 
Lubben and Morrow helped Bethel amass 41 assists as a team with Lubben leading the way at 20 and Marrow 17. Libero Kali Johnson paced the Royals from the back row, finishing with 16 digs and two serving aces. Her pair of aces from the back line were two of the team's nine total.
 
Carlee Hoppe led all players with 14 kills in 27 chances (.481), while middle blockers Kirstin Stern and Tegan Laberge finished with eight and seven, respectively. LaBerge led Bethel with five block assists, while Nicole Deberry added three.
 
Bethel will put its unbeaten record to the test this week, as they travel to the University of Northwestern-St. Paul—a team receiving votes in the preseason poll—on Wednesday night and No. 7-ranked UW-Stevens Point this weekend.