ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Bethel University volleyball team battled through a five-set thriller Saturday evening, edging Macalester College 3-2 (25-15, 15-25, 25-12, 17-25, 15-13) at the Leonard Center to remain undefeated in MIAC action.
The victory extended Bethel's winning streak to 11 matches and improved the Royals to 21-4 overall and a perfect 8-0 in conference play.
Bethel came out strong in the opening set, recording 11 kills while holding Macalester to a .054 hitting percentage. The Royals capitalized on the Scots' nine attacking errors to secure a convincing 25-15 victory.
Macalester responded in the second set, hitting .333 while limiting Bethel to a .057 hitting percentage. The Scots evened the match with a 25-15 win, setting the stage for a back-and-forth battle.
The Royals answered with their most dominant offensive performance of the evening in the third set, recording 16 kills with just two attacking errors for an impressive .400 hitting percentage. Bethel rolled to a 25-12 victory to regain control of the match.
However, Macalester refused to go away, hitting .281 in the fourth set and recording 14 kills to secure a 25-17 victory, forcing a decisive fifth set.
With the match on the line, Bethel found a way to finish. The Royals recorded eight kills in the final set while holding Macalester to a .000 hitting percentage. In a tightly contested finish, Bethel edged the Scots 15-13 to secure its 11th consecutive victory.
Grace Bathurst led the Royals offensively with a match-high 19 kills, hitting .245 while adding four block assists and finishing with a match-high 22 points. Sara Scherber and Cosette Carto each contributed 12 kills, with Scherber hitting .290 on the evening.
Ellie Van Namen directed the offense with 34 assists and 11 digs, recording a double-double while adding four kills and three block assists. Bridget Quinn made a significant impact from the service line, recording a team-high five aces while contributing 13 digs.
Defensively, Hannah Penke led the Royals with 19 digs, followed by Grace Therrien with 16, Quinn with 13 and Van Namen with 11. Carto added nine digs, while Mattie Petersen contributed 10.
Bethel finished the match with 55 kills compared to Macalester's 49, while holding advantages in assists (50-42), digs (89-78) and blocks (6-5). The Royals hit .169 as a team while limiting the Scots to .137.
The victory moves Bethel to 21-4 overall and 8-0 in MIAC play as the Royals continue their unbeaten run through the conference schedule.
Up Next: Bethel returns home Tuesday, Oct. 27, to host Wartburg College in a nonconference matchup at the Robertson Center. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
