ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Bethel University volleyball team opened its home schedule with a pair of victories Friday at the BU Invitational inside the Robertson Center. The Royals battled past Carleton in five sets before closing the night with a straight-set victory over UW-Stevens Point.
Bethel defeated Carleton 24-26, 25-22, 19-25, 25-17, 15-11 before sweeping UW-Stevens Point 25-20, 25-17, 25-20. With the two victories, the Royals improve to 8-3 overall.
Bethel 3, Carleton 2
The Royals had to battle from behind throughout their home opener after Carleton took the opening set, 26-24. Bethel responded with a 25-22 win in the second before the Knights regained the advantage with a 25-19 third-set victory.
Facing a 2-1 deficit, Bethel put together its strongest offensive set of the match in the fourth. The Royals hit .333 with 15 kills and just two errors to take the frame, 25-17, and force a deciding fifth set.
Bethel carried that momentum into the fifth, hitting .318 and holding Carleton to a .048 clip on its way to a 15-11 victory.
Grace Bathurst led the Royals with 17 kills, while Peyton Howie added 14 and Sara Scherber finished with 13. Howie's performance also marked a career milestone as she recorded her 1,000th career kill during the match.
Bethel hit .238 as a team and held a 64-56 advantage in kills. The Royals also controlled the net with a 12-7 advantage in blocks. Chiara Houser led the effort with nine blocks, while Howie and Bathurst each added five.
Ellie Van Namen dished out 30 assists and recorded three service aces, while Grace Therrien paced the defense with 19 digs.
Bethel 3, UW-Stevens Point 0
Bethel carried the momentum from its five-set victory into Friday's nightcap, completing a sweep of UW-Stevens Point.
The Royals took the opening set, 25-20, before producing their best offensive frame of the match in the second. Bethel tallied 19 kills while hitting .364 to pull away for a 25-17 victory.
Bethel closed out the night with another 25-20 win in the third to secure the sweep.
Bathurst once again led the attack with 14 kills, while Howie finished with 13 and Scherber added nine. The Royals hit .248 as a team and held a 49-35 advantage in kills.
Van Namen recorded 22 assists, while Sophia Rubio added 10. Therrien finished with a team-high 14 digs, and Howie and Houser each recorded three blocks.
Across Friday's two matches, Bathurst totaled 31 kills as the Royals picked up a pair of victories to open the BU Invitational and their home schedule.
Up Next: Bethel resumes play at the BU Invitational Saturday morning, taking on Carroll University at 10 a.m. before closing out the tournament against Bethany Lutheran College at 12:30 p.m.
