Bethel volleyball moves to 2-0 in conference play after dominating Friends
The Threshers improve to 14-5 overall in Wichita on Saturday led by Roman and Offerle
WICHITA — The Bethel volleyball team moved to 2-0 in KCAC after sweeping Friends. This was Bethel’s fifth straight win, all matches won three sets to zero.
The Threshers have been a consistent team this year, with a record of 14-5; 17 of the Threshers’ 19 games have been played on the road, including 12 contests outside the state of Kansas.
“While on the road, our team chemistry has improve and allowed us to be a competitively great team no matter the score, opposing team, or even the crowd,” said senior Kylah Carter, from Houston, Tex., about the Threshers’ long road stint. “We have learned that staying in control of our side of the net will lead us to success.”
The Threshers closed up their 17 game road streak against Friends on Saturday, posting an average margin of victory of about seven points per set. The Threshers’ defense stood out once again, holding the Friends offense to a .038 hitting percentage.
“The girls executed our game plan perfectly this weekend,” said head coach Adriana Leake, when asked about the defensive performance. “When we do that, we're really hard to compete with. I spent a lot of time studying Friends and we had a few blocking schemes that we had planned to execute. We did a great job with the game plan and it made the game so smooth for us defensively.”
Senior Jordan Boone led the defense in blocks this weekend, with eight total over the match, and Cameron Offerle and Darla Crow added four and three blocks respectively. Offerle also led the team in digs with 14, while Mia Roman and Abby Koontz each added 11 of their own.
When asked about the team’s consistency this season, Carter once again emphasized control and had this to say about the Thresher team:
“Our consistency is a true testament to how intentional we have been about controlling our side of the net- our level of play, energy, and communication,” said Carter.
Carter and Crow led the team in kills with 11 each, and senior Laci Ownbey added seven for the Threshers in the sweep. Setter Mia Roman assisted on 29 kills in the match.
As the Threshers look forward to their first home match since Aug. 17, coach Leake reflected on how the road game streak has been beneficial for the Threshers.
“I think the biggest improvement I've seen is just how comfortable we are in our versatility,” said Coach Leake. “We aren't one dimensional as a team and we've really embraced that. It makes game day really easy for me because they're able to make decisions using the tools we've worked on and just play light, which is something we always talk about. We want to be light when everyone else feels pressure. We have all the tools to do that!”
The Threshers take on York on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Thresher Gym, looking to improve their record to 15-5.