PELLA, Iowa - The Bethany Lutheran volleyball team competed in their first two matches of the season on Friday night and dropped the first contest to Concordia 3-2 before defeating St. Catherine 3-1. With the results the Vikings move to 1-1 on the season.
"The highlight today was the fact that we're still implementing different personnel in different spots and it didn't seem to matter to the girls," said Head Coach John Olmanson. "They played really well and showed a lot of determination early on. Although the first few sets of the night weren't the greatest, the girls rebounded well and played strong the rest of the way."
Concordia 3 - 2 Bethany Lutheran
Bethany kicked off their season off with a match against Concordia (Minn.) and things started out slow for the Vikings. Concordia was able to get off the gate quick, holding a 6-point lead at 18-12 in set one. The Vikings stormed back to cut the deficit to two at 24-22, but a kill by the Cobbers ended the first set. Set two was much of the same, with Concordia jumping out to a small lead in the early going. Bethany was able to take their first lead of the match at 18-17, before the teams started trading points and knotting things up at 23. Both teams then went point for point, with the Vikings taking a 29-28 lead that was answered by three straight Cobber points to take the second set and a 2-0 match lead.
In set three, the Vikings dominated from the get go, getting out to a 10-5 lead early and then going on a 15-7 run to end the set and win it 25-12. Set four looked to be going Concordia's was early, but the Vikings were able to answer back and push the game to even at 23 late in the set. Bethany was able to take their first close set thanks to a Cobber attacking error and a service ace by Lexiss Trygg to end the set.
The final set seemed to be going the way of the Vikings early on, but the Cobbers would answer. With the Vikings leading 12-7, Concordia's attack went on display with a few powerful kills en route to seven unanswered to take a 14-12 lead. The Vikings would get a point back late thanks to a kill from Rilee Hohbein but another big swing by the Cobbers would end the match and give them the victory.
Lex Morsching and Maddie Meyer led the Viking attack in match one with 13 kills apiece and Meyer hitting an impressive .400. Maddi Wendland topped the Viking back line and was one of four players with double digit digs as she posted 23 along with three service aces. Trygg dished out a team best 18 assists while Paloma Garcia de Fuentes added 17. Trygg also also led the Vikings defensively at the net with five blocks, tying Meyer for the most on the team.
Bethany 3 - 1 St. Catherine
In set one of the second match of the night, St. Catherine seemed to be in control early. The Wildcats were able to take a lead and never looked back as they cruised to a 25-19 victory. St. Kate's once again jumped out to an early lead in the second set at 6-3, before the Vikings went on a 13-6 run to take a 16-12 lead midway through the set. The Wildcats would go on a run of their own though, retaking the lead at 21-18 to keep the advantage late. Bethany was able to answer, rattling off seven of the next eight points thanks to a trifecta of kills from Meyer and a few errors by St. Kate's to take the second set and even the match at one.
Set number three looked grim for the Vikings, as they fell behind 8-0 in the early going. The teams would trade points and the Wildcats would lead 18-10 before Bethany finally made their run. Six straight points on the service of Garcia de Fuentes would get the Vikings back in the match. St. Catherine held onto their lead and was one point away from taking a 2-1 match lead, but the Vikings were able to take five straight points and take a 26-24 victory.
In the fourth and final set, the Vikings were able to take and hold onto a lead the entire set en route to a 25-20 victory. 17 errors, including 13 attacking errors by the Wildcats proved costly as Bethany was able to notch its first win of the year.
In match two, Morsching led the attack with 11 kills while also adding a team-high 18 digs. Garcia de Fuentes dished out a team-best 13 assists, while Hohbein and Sarah Strom led the defense with four blocks apiece.
The Vikings will be back in action tomorrow when they play Buena Vista and Saint Mary's at Grinnell College at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.
