STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The No. 21-ranked Bethel University volleyball team picked up its second ranked win of the season defeating No. 14 Millikin in straight sets closing out day one at the Pointers Invitational. Bethel dropped its opening match of the day in four sets to the hosts Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
 
The Royals (11-3) close out the three-match weekend tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. against Ripon College.
 
#RV Wisconsin-Stevens Point 3, #21 Bethel 1 | 20-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-14
Fresh off a career-high 19 kills, Kirstin Cotter bested her Wednesday performance with a new career-high 20 kills hitting .469. Danielle Friedges added 14 kills with Emily Rossing contributing 10. Commanding the offense, Hannah Wilhite tallied 48 assists while Kelsie Sealock on the defensive side of the ball dug out a match-high 21 attacks.
 
It took a bit to get going, but the Royals got in a rhythm taking the lead on back-to-back Pointer attacking errors. BU's lead grew no larger than three before UWSP knotted it back up at 15-15. Kills from Cotter, Friedges and Allie Fauth led the Royals to score eight of the last 10 points in the opening set.
 
BU jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the second before UWSP evened it up at 7-7. Seven ties later BU used a four-point run gaining the advantage 21-17. A UWSP four-point run in response gave them a one-point advantage before a kill from Cotter tied it at 23-23. UWSP would get sideout before winning the match on a BU attacking error.
 
The third set played just as close as the second with an identical 25-23 score and an identical nine ties and three lead changes. The Pointers ran away with it in the fourth thanks to a fast start where they led 7-2 in the early stages.
 
#21 Bethel 3, #14 Millikin | 25-17, 25-21, 25-20
Rossing led the way 12 kills on 19 attempts hitting .526 for the match to go along with five block assists. Cotter wasn't too far behind her with 11 kills and three block assists. Bethel tallied five service aces, two coming from Mina Wimmer and Hannah Wilhite apiece.
 
BU limited the Big Blue to hit .009 for the match while getting 10 blocks at the net.
 
Tied at 5-5, BU scored six of the next seven points thanks to three service aces, a Wilhite kill and a Millikin attacking error. The Royals never gave up the lead as a six-point run made it 20-13 before the teams traded off points. BU got sideout before Cotter put down a kill capturing the crucial first set.
 
Down 12-6 in the second, BU stayed poised clawing away at the deficit. A four-point run for BU all on Big Blue errors tied it at 18-18. The Royals took the lead for good with a Wimmer ace.

It seemed as if Millikin was going to force a fourth set just narrowly, but 11 ties later Bethel started a four-point run on a kill by Cotter. Leading 21-18, Millikin gave the Royals a battle pulling within two. A pair of kills by Rossing gave the Royals match point. Getting Millikin out of system and forcing a free ball to the Royals, Wilhite put down a dump set for the win.