Thresher volleyball set to open KCAC tournament play on Friday
Bethel will get action started at 11 a.m. in Hutchinson.
After a historic run for the Threshers in the regular season, the Bethel volleyball team (21-8, 9-3) is set to compete in the KCAC postseason tournament at Hutchinson Sports Arena, starting on Friday against Saint Mary at 11 a.m.
Ahead of the weekend, head coach Adriana Leake has some confidence to build off of leading up to the moments of play. “I'm expecting lots of great competition,” she said. “This is the time of year when teams should be playing their best. I believe anything can happen. I have no doubts we have what it takes to win the entire tournament. It’ll take a lot of discipline and us really relying on the things we've been working hard on all season. The potential is definitely there.”
The Threshers are ranked as the No. 4 seed and are automatically able to play in the quarterfinals, skipping the round of eight with a first-round bye. The Spires, on the other hand, are coming off a win in the first round against Tabor in three sets (25-16, 25-16, 25-14).
“Our biggest strength is resiliency,” said Leake. “We've shown all season that we can handle pressure, but we've also shown that when things aren't going our way we're able to respond and bounce back. I think that’ll play a huge role. The way we play and support each other as a team is something that is completely unique to our team compared to others in the conference.
I believe that if we step out and play together and have fun we have everything it takes to make it happen this weekend.”
Every athlete knows the stress and ultimate time and dedication it takes to stay focused on conference matchups, but during the playoffs, it’s a different breed. Coach Leake and some of the players have specific things to prepare themselves for this weekend.
Senior Mia Loganbill from Hesston said, “We’ve had game-like practices all week to really work on our rotations and how we play together as a unit. We start out with some fundamentals to work on our position-specific skills then move into 6-on-6 to get as many game-like reps as possible.”
Loganbill has 1,182 kills in her career at Bethel and looks to raise that statistic before graduating this fall. “We’re also watching films on our opponents to see their personnel and strategy,” she added. “I want to end my volleyball career on a high note.”
Both Leake and her players are seeking a long weekend with celebrations along the way.
“We've revisited our team values so we can make sure we can fall back on those when times are tough,” Leake said. “In practice [this week], we partnered up and everyone shared what their ‘purpose’ for practice was this week. … Each player has their own focus and something they're working into this week so they can play free and have fun when it matters.”
With a win on Friday morning, Bethel will play again at 5 p.m. against either first-seeded Ottawa or eighth-seeded Southwestern in the semifinals. With a win there, the Threshers will play at 2 p.m. on Saturday in the championship.