Threshers Celebrate Senior Day with Big Win Over Ottawa
Bethel women’s volleyball secures a 3-1 victory and the No. 2 seed heading into the conference tournament.
Bethel welcomed the Ottawa Braves for the last regular-season game of the year. A win would lock in the second seed. Before the match, they would feature the seniors, Landree Merriman and Gracia Duron. Sophomore Abby Koontz would also have a milestone day, eclipsing the 1,000-dig mark.
The match would get started, and the Braves would take an 8-3 lead in the first, forcing Bethel to use a timeout. This helped the Threshers reset and bring the score to 12-11 in favor of Ottawa, and would force the Braves to use a timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Ottawa would take a commanding lead, taking the first set 25-19.
This would be the first set Bethel has lost at home since the game versus Oklahoma Wesleyan. The Threshers did not look to be bothered, staying composed. The team jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the second set, forcing the Braves into a timeout. The Threshers would cruise to a 25-12 set win, evening the match at 1-1.
“We are not a super emotional team. We know that there are ups and downs that come with a game, so spirits were fine,’’ said head coach Adriana Leake. “ I think everyone felt like we had control and would be able to recover.”
Set three was a crucial one, with six lead chances and several rallies. The Braves would lead Bethel 12-7. The Threshers would not back down and took a 20-14 lead, forcing Ottawa to take a timeout. The Braves stormed back, tying the game at 21-21. Being in a crucial part of the match with the score being 24-24, Bethel would rally and take the third set 26-24, going up 2-1.
“This team has been so special,” said Leake, “We’ve been facing adversity since day one. It forced me to trust my bench and our depth in ways that I’ve never had to before.”
After taking set three, Bethel would look to close out the day by winning the fourth set as well. During the fourth set, Bethel would lead the Braves 19-9. Ultimately, the Threshers took set number four by a score of 25-13, winning on Senior Day 3-1.
With the win, Bethel secures the No. 2 seed and looks to carry its momentum into the conference tournament, starting Tuesday against St. Mary’s Spires at 7:00 p.m. in Thresher Gym.