Bethel volleyball has strong showing at Texas Two Step Classic, downing no. 21 in the nation
The Thresher volleyball team took a trip down south to compete in Fort Worth, Tex. over the weekend, finishing 3-1 on the trip with big performances from Crow, Offerle, Ownbey and Roman.
FORT WORTH, Tex. — The Bethel volleyball team had a big weekend at the Texas Two Step Classic in Fort Worth, Tex., going 3-1 in their matches, including a win in five sets over the no. 21 team in the country in Montana Tech, a 2023 NAIA national tournament qualifier.
The Threshers swept both Ave Maria and Texas A&M - Texarkana to round out their weekend on Sunday, but took a tough loss in five sets to a College of Idaho team that is receiving votes in the national poll.
“I was really happy with how scrappy we were as a team,” said head coach Adriana Leake. “It was really hard to earn a point against us because our defense was so tough… The only thing I wasn't pleased with was the loss vs. College of Idaho. I felt we were the better team, but we learned a lot about how good we are even when one of our top players goes down and I learned a lot about some creative ways to use who we have if needed.”
The Threshers’ successful start to the season has been noticed by the entire KCAC this week, as senior Mia Roman was named KCAC setter of the week and sophomore Darla Crow was named KCAC defender of the week.
They did all of this with one of their best players in senior outside hitter Kylah Carter, going down with a sprained ankle on their Fort Worth trip. Carter is someone who the Threshers hope to get back as soon as possible.
“We're just getting better and better each week,” said Leake. “We did the things we've been working on really well and we played with a ton of heart. We have had other tough, close games this year but this weekend was our first time really finishing it out and proving to ourselves what we're capable of. Kylah sprained her ankle in the first set of our second game on friday, so we had several different line ups that we had to use and had to tap into some of the talent on the bench and seeing them go out and do a great job was a huge success as well.”
The Threshers saw some big performances from a variety of different players, but the leaders for the Threshers on the weekend included senior Laci Ownbey with 57 kills, Crow with 21 blocks, freshman Abby Koontz with 91 digs, and Roman with 160 assists. Impressive numbers came out of the Montana Tech match especially, with Cameron Offerle tallying 24 kills in the match, Roman adding 52 assists, and Crow stuffing the Orediggers 9 times at the net.
“We were successful this weekend because we all fought hard and fought together to make things happen,” said Ownbey from Benton. “With Kylah going down in the second game against Idaho we had to quickly adapt and figure out a way to make the best of a tough situation. Our defense was phenomenal all weekend, our serves were tough, and Mia ran our offense in a way that it made it easy for the hitters to score. Things we have worked on in practice have started to really show during the games… However, as we move forward we have to keep staying hungry for more and not be satisfied by a couple of wins.”
The Threshers are confident after a successful weekend, and they look to build on it as they take on the current no. 7 team in the country, Columbia College in the first of three games that the Threshers will play in Fayette, Mo. this weekend.