Sept. 6 – Lexington, Ky. – After dropping a pair on the first day of the Transylvania University Invitational, the Bison came back with a vengeance on day two, defeating both Covenant College (3-0) and Transylvania (3-1).
In the contest against the Scots of Covenant, the Bison were on their "A" game, taking down their competition by scores of 27-25, 25-19 and 25-14. Dylana McKenzie (Hopewell, Ohio/West Muskingum) led the way offensively, finishing the contest with 10 kills and four block assists on the day. Sophomore Arielle Sanders (Maple Heights, Ohio/Maple Heights) also played well, notching a career-high nine kills while hitting .500 in the match.
Alexis Castro (Lorain, Ohio/Lorain) and Lynsie Mandt (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) each finished with six kills offensively, while Sadie Davenport (Newark, Ohio/Lakewood) totaled a five. Mackenzie Lauber (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison Mansfield) distributed the ball well, averaging 11 assists per set, totaling 33 in the three-set match.
Defensively, the Bison were up to their old tricks, holding the scots to a .078 hitting percentage in the match. The Green & White totaled 46 digs in the contest, led by Julia Mouch's (Toledo, Ohio/Sylvania Southview) 15 and Mandt's season-high 11. The sweep of Covenant marked the second three-game victory for Bethany this season.
In match number two, Bethany competed against the Pioneers and the Bison once again brought their best, defeating the tournament hosts by a 3-1 score. Bethany captured game one by a score of 25-21, before taking game two by a 25-22 score. After dropping game three (25-23), the Green & White fought back and finished off Transylvania with a 25-19 win in game four.
In the second victory, McKenzie once again showed off her strengths, totaling 14 kills to lead the team. Davenport also played very well in the contest, totaling 12 kills while making just three errors in the match. Castro completed the match with eight kills while Mandt totaled seven. Lauber was once again in top form, totaling 38 assists in four sets.
The defense was again stellar in the win, holding the Pioneers to a .109 hitting percentage in the match. Four different Bison bought into the defensive effort as Mouch, Mandt, Kelly Becquet (Finleyville, Pa./Ringgold) and Haley Santymire (Cliffton, Va./Centreville) all finished in double figures.
After not accomplishing the feat in any match during her first two seasons, Mouch has now registered at least 30 digs for the second time this year. Mouch finished with 30, just one week after setting a career-high 36 in a five-set win over John Carroll. Becquet finished the match with 16 digs, while Mandt had 13 and Santymire, 11.
The Green & White will be back in action on Wednesday, September 10, as the Bison will open their conference schedule at Thiel College. The contest in Greenville, Pa. is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.
