HOLLAND, Mich. – The Bethel University volleyball team split a pair of matches Friday to open tournament play at Hope College. The Royals dropped a four-set battle to host Hope before responding with a dominant straight-set victory over Bluffton University at DeVos Fieldhouse.
Bethel fell to Hope 11-25, 25-21, 27-29, 24-26 before sweeping Bluffton 25-20, 25-15, 25-12. The Royals move to 11-4 overall following Friday's action.
Hope 3, Bethel 1
After a difficult opening set against the host Flying Dutch, Bethel quickly responded in the second. The Royals put down 17 kills with just three errors, hitting .389 on their way to a 25-21 victory to even the match at one set apiece.
The third set turned into a back-and-forth battle. Bethel hit .300 in the frame, but Hope eventually edged the Royals 29-27 to regain the advantage.
Another tight finish followed in the fourth. Bethel recorded 14 kills and hit .256, but Hope escaped with a 26-24 victory to close out the match in four sets.
Sara Scherber led the Bethel attack with a match-high 23 kills, while Peyton Howie added eight and Hannah Penke finished with seven. The Royals hit .245 as a team, including better than .250 in each of the final three sets.
Ellie Van Namen directed the offense with 38 assists while adding 10 digs for a double-double. Grace Therrien led the defensive effort with 20 digs, while Penke added 16. Howie recorded a team-high three blocks.
Bethel 3, Bluffton 0
The Royals bounced back quickly in Friday's second match, controlling Bluffton in a straight-set victory.
Bethel opened with a 25-20 win before creating separation in the second set. The Royals held Bluffton to a .029 hitting percentage while taking the frame, 25-15.
Bethel continued to pull away in the third, hitting .265 while limiting Bluffton to a .028 clip. The Royals closed the match with a convincing 25-12 victory to complete the sweep.
Grace Bathurst led Bethel with 13 kills, while Howie added 12. The Royals finished with a 41-23 advantage in kills and hit .231 as a team while holding Bluffton to just .062.
Bethel also held advantages in aces, 7-2, and blocks, 7-5. Therrien recorded three service aces and a team-high 12 digs, while Penke added two aces and 11 digs. Howie led the Royals at the net with three blocks.
Van Namen dished out 19 assists, while Sophia Rubio added 15 as Bethel finished with 38 assists on 41 kills.
The Royals finished Friday 1-1 and head into the second day of tournament play with an 11-4 overall record.
Up Next: Bethel continues tournament play at Hope College Saturday with a pair of matches. The Royals take the court at 10 a.m. before returning for their final match of the weekend at noon.
