ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Wartburg College volleyball team (15-10, 2-2 A-R-C) fell to Bethel University (Minn.) (22-4, 8-0 MIAC) 3-1 Tuesday evening at Robertson Center.
The Knights claimed the third set 25-19 but were unable to complete the comeback, falling in four sets. Wartburg hit .088 for the match, while Bethel finished at .152.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Bethel opened the first set with a 4-1 lead before kills from
Ashlynn Hodges and
McKenzie Becker helped Wartburg take a 6-5 advantage. The Royals responded with a 7-0 run to take control and later extended their lead to 20-10 behind back-to-back service aces from Grace Therrien. Kills from
Kaylee Koudelka and a block by
Keely Kauten and
Leah Hayungs helped the Knights late, but Bethel closed the set 25-13.
The Knights battled back in the second set, tying the score at 3-3 on a Koudelka kill and an
Anna Sash service ace. Bethel regained the lead and moved ahead 11-6 before a Hayungs kill, a Royals attack error and an
Aspen Falk ace brought Wartburg within 11-9. Bethel built a seven-point advantage at 20-13, but the Knights responded with a late push. A Sash kill, two Bethel attack errors and a Hodges kill cut the deficit to 23-20. The Royals held on to take the set 25-21.
Wartburg responded in the third set, building an early 6-3 lead behind kills from Kauten and a pair of blocks.
Peyton Robinson then served five consecutive points as the Knights extended their advantage to 12-5, with kills from Hayungs,
Lucy Maassen and Sash, along with a Robinson ace and a Sash block. Bethel cut the deficit to three at 15-12, but Wartburg answered with kills from Maassen and Hodges and a service ace from
Gracie Hoskins to push the lead to 18-12. The Knights maintained control late, reaching set point on a
Haedyn Rebelsky kill before closing out the 25-19 win on a Bethel attack error. Rebelsky recorded her first kill of the season.
The Royals took control early in the fourth set, turning a 3-3 tie into a 16-9 advantage. Wartburg worked to close the gap, using a Sash kill and Bethel attack errors to cut the deficit to 16-13. After Bethel pushed its lead back to five, kills from Hodges and Hayungs helped the Knights pull within 18-16. The Royals responded with three consecutive kills from Hannah Penke to regain separation. Maassen added a late kill, but Bethel closed the set 25-18 to secure the match.
UP NEXT
Wartburg travels to Dubuque, Iowa, to face the No. 16-ranked University of Dubuque on Friday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m.
NOTES
Hodges led Wartburg with nine kills and added five digs. Falk recorded a team-high 18 assists to go with nine digs and one service ace, while Robinson paced the Knights with 17 digs and added an ace. Sash contributed six kills and a team-high four blocks for 9.5 points. Her four blocks surpassed her season average of 3.08 per match. Wartburg finished with eight total blocks, exceeding its season average of 6.63.
