Lindsborg, Kan. – Bethany College hosted the University of Saint Mary Spires in their conference opener, Saturday, September 20th in Hahn Gymnasium. This thrilling five set match went into extra points but unfortunately, the Swedes weren’t able to come out with the win.
First set of the match, momentum swung in favor of St. Mary who managed to take a nine-point lead over Bethany, 7-16. The Swedes fought their way back into the set, coming within three of the Spires, 16-19. But the deficient was too great and the Spires went on to take the set, 20-25. Set 2 kicked off with an early run by the Swedes who grew their lead to five, 10-5. St Mary didn’t give in and kept creeping back within two but Bethany didn’t blink and continued to attack. The Swedes finished the set, 25-20, hitting a .243. Similar to the second set, Bethany took off with an explosive run in the beginning of the third set and earned a six-point lead over St. Mary, 8-2. The Spires regrouped and managed to fight their way back, tying up the set at 11-11. From there, the Swedes gained momentum and took control of the set with a two-to-three-point lead until the they closed out the set, 25-19. Going into the fourth set, Bethany was looking to end the night in four with their first conference win of the season but the Spires had other plans. St. Mary gained a slight lead over the Swedes in which they continued to build upon until Bethany was down by six, 9-15. The Swedes fought to stay in it but the Spires were able to hold them off and took the fourth set, 20-25. Tied with two sets won apiece, the match went into the fifth and final set of the night to decide who would come out victorious. The Swedes struggled in the beginning and the Spires took advantage, gaining a four-point lead, 6-10. Bethany battled and tied up the set at 14-14. Win by two, the Swedes needed to take back the advantage over the Spires but weren’t able to in the end. Final score, 14-16, the Swedes lose by two.
Notable Stats from this game include 11 kills by Jordyn Carpenter, 9 kills and hitting a .350 was Chloe Linville, 23 assists and 19 digs by Ashlynn Gehring, and 30 digs by Michelle Acevedo Ortiz.
Up next, the Swedes are hosting the Friends University Falcons, Saturday, September 27th in Hahn Gymnasium. Devo starts at 12pm and varsity is set to start at 2pm.
