ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Bethel University volleyball team finished off the weekend tournament at the University of Northwestern's Kathryn Pals Invitational by raking in two exciting wins against St. Norbert College (3-1) and Buena Vista University (3-0).
 
BU came close against St. Norbert in the opening set, but despite losing Saturday's opener 20-25, the Royals (3-1) did not back down and came back to beat the Green Knights with final scores of 25-13, 25-21, and 25-22 in the second, third, and fourth sets. Bethel had a .225 hitting percentage throughout the match with 66 points on 53 kills, seven aces, and six blocks. BU also racked up 49 assists and an astonishing 92 digs.
 
Tina Hoppe, Maria Claflin, and Brooke Olstad all had a stellar performance by bringing in 11 kills each. Hannah Wilhite hauled in 36 assists, while Rylee Forshee recorded an impressive 30 digs.
 
The Royals extended their win streak by sweeping Buena Vista in Saturday's finale with scores of 25-21, 25-20, and 25-21.
 
Bethel brought in 45 points with 38 kills, five aces, and two blocks, to go along with 35 assists and 69 digs.
 
Brooke Olstad led the team with eight kills and 11 assists, while Hannah Wilhite contributed 28 assists. Rylee Forshee and Tina Hoppe racked up 19 and 11 digs each. Karin Cancakes and Maria Claflin each raked in seven kills.
 
The Royals return to Arden Hills for their home opener against the University of Minnesota-Morris at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 4.