SAINT PAUL, MINN.—For the first time in program history, the Bethel University volleyball team capped a perfect conference record following a 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-19) victory at St. Catherine on Friday night.
The Royals improve to 25-4, 11-0 MIAC, while the Wildcats conclude their 2026 season with a 5-19, 3-8 MIAC mark. BU's last 25-win season was 2015, when they finished 25-10.
Bethel 3, St. Catherine 0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-19)
St. Catherine had a 37-30 advantage in kills, but combined for a whopping 37 errors in the contest against Bethel's 19.Â
Sara Scherber had a team-leading nine kills and a .286 hitting percentage for Bethel, while Hannah Penke was all over the stat sheet with eight kills on a .231 clip, three service aces, and eight digs. Grace Bathurst was efficient with a .412 hitting percentage that consisted of eight kills and just one error to go with three blocks and three digs. Grace Therrien finished with 11 digs for BU. Ellie Van Namen notched 14 assists, followed by 11 from Sophia Rubio.
The Royals hit .171 while the Wildcats had a .106 mark.
Marta Haugen finished with a game-high 11 kills, while Maddie Newton paced their defense with 17 digs to go with two aces.
Next up for the No. 1 seed Royals is the 2026 MIAC Volleyball Playoffs. They will have a first round bye, and host the lowest remaining seed in the 2026 MIAC Volleyball Playoff Semifinal at the Robertson Center on Thursday, November 12 at 7 p.m.
