WINONA, Minn.—Bethel University's volleyball team opened up the 2016 MIAC Playoffs with authority, as the Royals (18-10) defeated Saint Mary's on the road by a final score of 3-1. BU went up early thanks to a 25-18 victory in the first and a 25-19 win in the second. The Cardinals (24-5) stole the third game by a final score of 25-16, but Bethel came back with a vengeance in the fourth—winning 25-10.
The Royals advance to the MIAC semifinals for the third time since 2011, where they'll meet Augsburg College, who earned the No. 1 seed in the postseason thanks to an 11-0 mark against conference opponents throughout the regular season.
BU finished the Tuesday night showdown with 68.0 points on 55 kills, two aces, and 11 blocks. Moreover, the Royals composed 46 assists and 47 digs. Bethel hit an impressive .283 as a team, while holding Saint Mary's to just .146.
Callie Sinclair was outstanding throughout the match, as the senior outside hitter manufactured 22 kills on 37 attempts for a hitting percentage of .486, alongside seven digs and one serving ace.
Carlee Hoppe and
Tina Hoppe were also remarkable, as the sisters finished with 12 and 10 kills respectively. Carlee added a team-high 15 digs and a .243 hitting percentage to her stat line, while Tina was involved with five of BU's blocks.
Emily Kukacka added five kills, while
Karin Canakes contributed four kills, eight block assists, and a .400 hitting percentage.
Holly Ellwanger led BU from the setter position, posting a match-high 31 assists alongside six digs.
Katie Lubben added 13 assists.
Dominique Dabu finished the match with 10 digs.
Lexi Barth led SMU with 12 kills and five digs throughout the four-set match. Brandi Blattner, who had 31 kills against the Royals in their regular-season matchup just over a week ago, finished the evening with just 10 kills and a .093 hitting percentage.
The Royals now turn their attention to the Auggies, who handed BU a 3-0 setback on October 15. Interestingly enough, however, the three game scores were exceptionally close (23-25, 21-25, 24-26). First serve between Augsburg and Bethel is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Thursday at Si Melby Hall.
