Bethel volleyball defeats Kansas Wesleyan for first time since 2010
The Threshers beat the Coyotes in five sets, beating Kansas Wesleyan for the first time in 26 match-ups
SALINA — The Bethel College volleyball team defeated Kansas Wesleyan in five sets, finishing off the Coyotes with a 15-13 score in the fifth and final set. Before this match, the Threshers had lost 26 straight matches against the Coyotes, the last win dating back to November of 2010.
“It was definitely an important win for the team and for a lot of our more recent alumni,” said Head Coach Adriana Leake. “I know they've been itching for a win versus Kansas Wesleyan for a long time. They're a solid program with lots of talented players so it means a lot to get it done.”
The Threshers defense excelled in the match, holding Kansas Wesleyan to a .109 hitting percentage throughout the match, including a -.027 hitting percentage in the first set.
“Our hitters did a great job executing our blocking plays,” said senior Maddie Chupp, from Goshen. “Kdub has some left hand hitters which is something that we hadn't seen yet this season. Coach scouted them well and because of adjustments we made to our block and defense, we shut down their biggest hitters so they were forced to bring in some girls off the bench.”
Sophomore Darla Crow led the team with 10 total blocks in the match, and Cameron Offerle and Mia Roman both also added five total blocks of their own. Crow and Offerle each had 14 kills, and Kylah Carter and Laci Ownbey added 13 and nine kills respectively. Ownbey and Jordan Boone also joined the block party, with four blocks apiece on the night.
“We defended really well in the game,” said Leake. “Our blocking early on shut down their key hitters and definitely seemed to rattle them as a team. We struggled a little bit offensively at times making too many errors, but were able to drive more kills than them, which helped. We served well with the exception of set 4, and we received really well most of the game too.”
The Threshers had eight service aces against the Coyotes. Chupp led the Threshers in serving with four aces on the night, one more than Kansas Wesleyan’s total, which was three. The service receive for the Threshers was led by freshman Abby Koontz, who had 25 digs for the Threshers. Offerle and Amaya Malhas added 18 and 13 digs respectively.
“This game gave us a lot of confidence by pulling out another five set win against a good team,” said Roman, from Kansas City. “We were able to capture those critical points by being aggressive. Our hitters did a great job of attacking the ball at the end of the game.”
Roman, the Threshers’ setter, stuffed the stat sheet against the Coyotes, with 48 assists, nine digs, five blocks, and five kills.
“We've been on this journey of proving to ourselves that we win those close games,” said Leake. “We have so many weapons that no one person has to carry the weight of getting it done. When one person struggles, someone else steps up for them and that was critical in ending that match strong. We spend a lot of time talking about how we handle pressure as a team and we've made huge strides in that as you can see in the win versus Ottawa, and now Kansas Wesleyan.”
The Threshers look to build on two big wins in a row as they head to Leavenworth to take on Saint Mary at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26.