Bethel volleyball stays undefeated in KCAC play
The Threshers beat McPherson for their 12th straight win and become 5-0 in conference play.
The Bethel volleyball team defeated McPherson 3 sets to 1 as it moved to 5-0 in KCAC play and won its 12th straight match.
In their last 12 matches, the Threshers have only dropped 5 sets out of 41 total. The Threshers’ last loss came on Sep. 1, when they fell to Morningside in four sets.
The Threshers saw their bench step up in a huge way in the win against McPherson, seeing multiple players provide an extra boost.
“It was the ultimate team win,” said head coach Adriana Leake. “We had ups and downs throughout the match. I thought that our bench came through big time.”
A few of the players mentioned by Leake who stepped up for the Threshers were sophomore hitter Kate Eichelberger, freshman McKenna Morgan as a server, and senior Kaity Shima who was put in the front row to set for the Threshers and led the team with 26 assists.
“I knew that we had it in the bag and that one set wasn't going to define our season or that game,” said Shima. “I knew we could bounce back and fix what we could fix and control our side. It starts by getting better in practice and working hard every day because that directly translates to the game and I feel like we've shown that this far and we'll continue to show that.”
Along with the new talent Bethel has been producing, the Threshers’ trio of hitters made up of senior Kylah Carter, senior Harlie Hunton, and freshman Cam Offerele have consistently provided a balanced offensive attack for Bethel, adding a total of 29 kills between the three against the Bulldogs.
Another staple for the Threshers this year has been freshman defensive standout Darla Crow, whose 135 block stat leads the nation. Crow has been a nightmare for opposing offenses so far this season.
“I’m just doing my part to help the team,” said Crow. “We have earned everything we’ve been doing and have been going really hard in practice.”
In the match against McPherson, the Threshers dropped their first set in KCAC play this season, but there were no worries for Leake and her team.
“I was super confident that we would come back out and get it together that next set,” said Leake. “Then we scored the first few points of that third set, and it was like, okay, we’re rolling again, and I knew we'd be fine.”
The Threshers are on a hot streak of winning, and they hope to keep that streak alive against Evangel in Thresher Gym on Saturday at 1 p.m.