DANVILLE, Va. – Bethany College traveled to Virginia for their second tri-meet of the past five days. The Bison took home a victory against the Averett University Cougars in a five set thriller, earning their first victory in over a month.
After a rough first set against the Cougars, the Bison offense turned up the heat. They smacked a .316 hitting percentage in the second set. It was a tip off of what was to come.
Three Bison ended game two with double digit kills.
Johnson was an iron man for the Bison, being one of the few to play all five sets. He ended with 10 kills, joining his partner at the net in good company. Rylan Trapp also had 10 kills, but his three block assists and a solo block put him in the runner up spot for team points. He finished with 12.5 total.
Captain McKay Ginez was a difference maker for the Bison. In his four sets played, Ginez slammed 11 kills and two aces. Ginez was not one dimensional. He also scooped eight digs and posted three blocks.
The Bison's path to victory showed a gritty team. They dropped the first set in convincing fashion. However, they stormed back in set two. After a tight game saw them with a one point lead mid set, Bethany rattled off a massive run.
They took a 9-9 game and blew it wide open, going on a 15-1 run off the back of McKay and Baylen Loosier at the line. They closed out set two, but set three was not as smooth.
The Bison had to grind out set three, with neither team leading by more than two points the entire set. Thankfully, you only need a two point lead to end a set. McKay slammed down the final kill for the Bison to make it 26-24.
The Bison couldn't repeat that magic in set four, losing a razor tight 29-27 set. The Green and White came through when it mattered most, going on a four point run in the fifth and final set to end the night with a victory.
Loosier, the new program record holder with 35 assists, earned the last kill for the Bison.
In match one, two Bison had over five kills. Johnson rolled in with seven kills and a solo block for eight points. Riley Burdett had eight kills, but edged out Johnson for the point lead when he added a service ace for nine points. Both Bison hit positively on the match.
The Bison will look to build off today, playing against two familiar teams on Friday. The tri-meet between Bethany, Roanoke, and Randolph will begin at 5 p.m. at Roanoke College.
