ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – In the home opener of its 2023 campaign, the Bethel University volleyball team battled with another UMAC opponent - University of Minnesota-Morris Cougars. The Royals fell in a five set thriller to the Cougars by scores of 16-25, 24-26, 28-26, 25-16, and 14-16. BU drops to 0-4 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
• Cougars won the first set 25-16 by going on a run of 13-7 to take the lead of 17-9 and control of the set
• Cougars came out hot on the offensive end, hitting .368 in the opening set while holding the Royals to .132
• The Royals had 12 kills compared to the Cougars 16
Second Set
• Back and forth set had nine ties and five lead changes
• Massive runs from both teams - Cougars with a 13-8 run to lead 19-13; Royals with a 9-4 run to tie the set up at 22
• UMM and BU tied the game at 22, 23, and 24 before the set was won by the Cougars
Third Set
• Royals win thriller of set 28-26
• BU was able to establish their defensive prowess by holding UMM to a .073 hitting percentage
• Bethel led the set with 18 kills to Morris' 12
Fourth Set
• Royals dominate set 25-16
• Morris led 1-0, but never led again, allowing Bethel to go on a 14-7 run to win the set
• BU out hit UMM with a hitting percentage of .270 to -.028
• Royals also had the advantage in kills, 15-8
Fifth Set
• Bethel loses game in thrilling set 5, 14-16
• Royals rallied to down from 9-3, to tie set at 14 with an 11-6 run
• Kills notched even at 5, along with a suboptimal hitting percentage for both sides - UMM with .040 and BU with -.217
• Morris won the set and game with a back to back plays from Sydney Eckhoff with a kill and a block from Maggie Jones
KEY PERFORMERS
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Danielle Friedges - 23 kills, 20 digs
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Abigail Drury - 15 kills, 4 blocks
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Brenna Stark - 54 assists, 14 digs, 3 kills, 2 aces
WHAT'S NEXT
The Royals head to De Pere, Wisconsin on Friday, September 8th, where they are slated to play in three games at the St. Norbert Invitational. First game will be against the hosts, St. Norbert at 7:00pm.
