ST. PETER, Minn.—The Bethel University volleyball team traveled to St. Peter Saturday night to face Gustavus Adolphus College in the MIAC Championship match for the second time in as many seasons and for the second consecutive time it was the Gusties (23-7) that prevailed over the Royals (19-11) by a similar score of 3-1.
 
BU gave an exceptional effort throughout the entire contest, but in the end, it was GAC that prevailed by set scores of 25-23, 25-20, 21-25, and 25-23.
 
The Royals led 14-9 in the opening set, but a 5-0 run for Gustavus evened things up at 14-14. The Gusties went on a 6-0 run later in the frame and held on to win 25-23. The initial setback didn't hold Bethel down, as the Royals led 10-7 early in set two. But GAC went on a 13-6 run and closed out the set with a five-point margin.
 
Gustavus tried to put the finishing touches on Bethel in the third, as the Gusties jumped out to a 5-1 lead, but the Royals fought back with their own 6-0 run. A 10-6 stretch in favor of BU midway through the third helped carry Bethel to a 25-21 triumph and forced a fourth game. The Royals got off to a 10-4 lead in the fourth and led 15-10 later in the frame, but a 15-8 advantage for the Gusties down the stretch gave Gustavus a 25-23 victory and the match.
 
Bethel hit .195 throughout the night, opposed to Gustavus, who was held to a team hitting percentage of .167. The Royals garnered 63.0 points on 48 kills, six aces, and 9.0 blocks, while also composing 44 assists and 71 digs.
 
Carlee Hoppe, who may have worn the Bethel University uniform for the last time in her career, hit .302 with 15 kills, seven digs, and two block assists. Sister, Tina Hoppe, was right behind with 14 kills, five digs, and four block assists. Also playing in her final match as a Royal was Callie Sinclair, who added seven kills and 13 digs.
 
Holly Ellwanger led BU in assists, as the sophomore dished out 27 kills and recorded 13 digs throughout the four sets. Ellwanger's counterpart, Katie Lubben—another four-year staple for the Bethel volleyball program—finished with 12 assists and five digs. Coming off of a career performance against Augsburg Thursday, Dominique Dabu had a match-high 23 digs.
 
Despite Saturday's results, Bethel's season may not be over. Because of the outcome of this past seven days, the Royals put themselves in the conversation for another at-large bid into the 2016 NCAA Playoffs. BU topped Millikin, Saint Mary's, and Augsburg—three teams ranked in the most-recent region rankings. The Royals have wins over other ranked teams (i.e. Wartburg) from earlier this season as well. No one will know until Monday morning at 11:30 a.m.
 
If Saturday's match was Bethel's last, the Royals say goodbye and thank you to five seniors, including Carlee Hoppe, Jillian Krier, Katie Lubben, Courtney Sheets, and Callie Sinclair, who have given BU a plethora of long-lasting memories and unforgettable experiences.