Kansas Wesleyan snaps Bethel volleyball win streak in four sets
The Threshers drop their first game since Sep. 1.
The Bethel volleyball team dropped its first game in KCAC play at home against Kansas Wesleyan on Wednesday in four sets to bring them to 7-1 in conference and 18-8 overall. This was their first loss since Sep. 1 when they lost to Morningside in non-conference play.
In the three sets that the Threshers lost, they were outscored by a total of eight points and lost their final set 29-27 after battling back from being down 13-5. Even though the Threshers didn’t get their desired outcome, they know that there’s a lot of season left, and hope to build off this loss as they take on the rest of their schedule.
“We haven't really had a lot of trials or faced a lot of things like that throughout our season,” head coach Adrianna Leake said. “It was a learning experience for us and we needed that. That's what we talked about in the locker room, that we're on our way to becoming a championship-level team and part of being a championship-level team is being able to make it happen under pressure.”
Despite the Threshers facing more pressure than normal, some familiar faces shined for Bethel fans.
Kylah Carter and Darla Crow led the team in kills, with 16 and 14 respectively. Crow was also second in blocks with four, just behind Jordan Boone’s team-leading total of six blocks on the night. Kaity Shima also had a good night for the Threshers, leading the team in both assists with 29 and digs with 16.
With the close loss to the Coyotes, Bethel is now one of four teams atop the KCAC standings with one loss, alongside Kansas Wesleyan, Oklahoma Wesleyan, and Ottawa.
“We're right on the edge of beating the top teams and I feel good about where we are,” said Leake. “We have some growth that needs to happen, but this game showed that we're one of the top teams in the conference.”
The Threshers have another tough matchup in Thresher Gym on Saturday as they look to bounce back against Saint Mary. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m.