Sept. 13 – BETHANY, W. Va. – The Bethany College volleyball team welcomed three teams to the Hummel Field House on Saturday for their first three home games of the season. The Bison split a pair of Presidents' Athletic Conference contests and won two-of-three on the day. Bethany took down Chatham University, 3-0, before falling to Thomas More in straight sets. The Green & White then swept away non-conference foe Carnegie Mellon, 3-0, to improve their record to 8-4 on the season.
In the first game, the Bison made quick work of Chatham University, defeating the Cougars by a 3-0 score. Bethany took game one, 25-7, before finishing off Chatham in the next two games, 25-6 and 25-11.
In the contest, Bethany held control the entire way. The Bison put together a season-high 18 service aces, including five from Haley Santymire (Clifton, Va./Centreville). Allie Powell (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central) posted four aces in the game while Sadie Davenport (Newark, Ohio/Lakewood) and Samantha Katchen (Fox River Grove, Ill./Cary Grove) posted three aces, each.
Offensively, Davenport posted 10 kills in the match, and was complimented by eight from Katchen and freshman Dixie Schultz (California, Ky./Campbell County). Powell finished the match with 35 assists, helping to lead the bison to a .464 hitting percentage.
Defensively, Bethany held the Cougars to a -.027 hitting percentage, earning their fourth three-game sweep of the season. Davenport and Santymire led the way defensively, collecting six digs, each. Olivia Goodman (Warren, Ohio/Warren G. Harding) and Alexis Castro (Lorain, Ohio/Lorain) each added one solo block in the win.
In game number two, the Bison ran into a Thomas More team that was on a mission, as they fell to the Saints by a 3-0 score. Dylana McKenzie (Hopewell, Ohio /West Muskingum) led the way for Bethany, hitting .292 in the contest with nine kills and just two errors. Dakota McKenzie (Hopewell, Ohio /West Muskingum) was the lone Bison in double-digits, finishing the game with 11 kills. Mackenzie Lauber (Mansfield, Ohio /Madison Mansfield) posted 31 assists in the match.
Defensively, Bethany totaled 57 digs, and was led by junior libero Julia Mouch, who posted 20 digs in the contest. Senior Lynsie Mandt (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) posted nine digs, while Santymire finished with eight.
In the nightcap of the three-match marathon for the Bison, the Green & White prevailed over the Tartans by a 3-0 score (25-22, 25-23, 27-25).
In the victory, Mandt and Dakota McKenzie carried the load for the offense, as they combined for 32 kills while making just six errors. Mandt recorded her first double-double of the season, registering 16 kills and 13 digs in the win. McKenzie also had 16 kills to go along with four digs and two block assists.
Once again, the Bison defense prevailed, holding CMU to a .095 hitting percentage. Mouch led the way once again, collecting 30+ digs for the third time this season. Mouch finished the day with 32 of the team's 73 digs. Mandt finished with 13 while Kelly Becquet (Finleyville, Pa./Ringgold) notched eight in the contest.
For seniors Mandt and Becquet, the victory over Carnegie Mellon marked the 100th win of both of their careers. During their four-year tenure, the duo has helped the Bison to a 75 percent winning percentage (100-25).
The Bison will be back in action on Saturday, September 20 when they travel to Washington, Pa. for a conference tri-match with the host Presidents and Westminster College. The action is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.
