Through two sets of volleyball, the Bethel University Royals seemed ready to move on to the next game. They lost the first set 22-25 in their match versus the St. Catherine University Wildcats Saturday, before rolling over in a 17-25 loss the second set.
But then the Royals remembered it takes three sets to win.
“We went in with a lot of motivation,” freshman outside hitter Hannah Penke said. “And then starting off the [third] set, we kept scoring over and over.”
Royals’ head coach Gretchen Hunt implemented a new offensive scheme Saturday, designed to get more swings on the right of the net. The plan backfired as the Wildcats’ defense refused to let a ball hit the floor on its side – reflected in Bethel’s combined 0.098 hitting percentage in those first two sets.
So Hunt went back to the team’s default offense. From there, the Royals’ hitting percentage skyrocketed to 0.278 in a 25-17 set three win and 0.375 in a 25-20 win in set four.
Sophomore middle blocker Peyton Howie led the way on offense with 21 kills in the game. Senior outside hitter Grace Solberg added 17, and Penke contributed 13 kills while leading the team in digs with 24.
Ultimately, St. Catherine’s defense became the deciding factor in the fifth set as it held Bethel to just eight points in the 15-point final set.
“Both teams played amazing defenses,” Penke said. “Even when you put a hard hit down, they would still somehow get a touch on it.”
The Wildcats’ win also came in part by a surplus of Bethel errors. The Royals’ 24 attack errors throughout the game outnumbered St. Catherine’s by 10. Bethel especially struggled with serving, where 13 service errors proved costly.
“We’ve been working so hard on serving,” Hunt said. “Sometime this week we took some steps back…we got to go back to give them some more concentrated time, so that everybody’s feeling really confident back there.”
Bethel’s loss ends its undefeated MIAC record, dropping the Royals to second in the conference. The Wildcats remain in third place, and Gustavus Adolphus College stands as the only undefeated team in the MIAC. Gustavus will visit Bethel for the Royals’ penultimate conference game Nov. 2.
Despite the loss, Penke remains confident about the Royals’ ability to compete with top teams.
“It wasn’t a win, but it was a win with how much we pushed back,” Penke said. “It encourages us that we can play… with these teams and we can beat them.”
Even with a tough matchup against Gustavus on the horizon, the Royals look ahead to their next non-conference game against the Wartburg College Knights. The match is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday in Arden Hills.
