WINFIELD, Kan. – The Southwestern College volleyball squad returned home to Stewart Field House on Saturday for a tilt against Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) foe, Bethel College (Kan.). Facing a worthy opponent, the Builders picked up a massive win in the opening set, but the momentum would shift in the latter stages of the second frame, as the visiting Threshers took the win over SC by a 3-1 final.

Southwestern showed heart throughout the opening set, as they fought punch for punch with Bethel. Their 12 kills trailed the Threshers' 13, but Southwestern committed just six errors to Bethel's 10. It was a 16-16 match, as the teams were nip and tuck throughout, but SC rattled off five of the next six points to go up 21-17. Then, Bethel countered by tying the score at 23. Luckily, the Moundbuilders snuffed out the comeback bid with the final two points, winning the set 25-23.

After falling down by as many as seven points at 11-4 in the second set, SC had an opportunity to win back-to-back sets in the late stages. The squad got all the way to a 24-22 lead in the set, but allowed the Threshers to take five out of the next six points to drop the frame 27-25. The two teams had the exact same amount of putaways in the stanza, as 14 were recorded by each side. Just one additional error was picked up by the visitors, as Bethel picked up nine attacking miscues, while the Builders only tallied eight.

The third set of the bout was the least competitive one for Southwestern, as Bethel had a field day on offense in the period. They raked in 17 kills on 38 swings with just three errors, as Southwestern was not far behind with 13 kills and just four errors. Unfortunately, the Thresher attackers were just too hot in the set that the strong effort from the Moundbuilders was not nearly enough, in a 25-18 BC triumph.

Both teams had less impressive offenses in set number four, as the Threshers' 15 kills to nine errors were both higher than the Builders' 13 kills and six mishaps. Percentage wise, Southwestern had the better offense, but the extra attempts from Bethel allowed them to earn a 25-22 win in the final set. Two of the BC squad's eight service aces in the match came at an important part of the stanza, as an 8-8 tie became a 14-8 Thresher advantage. In the end, the Threshers rode that momentum to a 25-22 win to clinch their victory over the Builders.

If you want to take an overwhelming positive from this match as a Moundbuilder fan, freshman Anna Bradley had a coming out party with 13 kills on 35 swings. She committed only three errors to reach a .286 attacking clip. She was the team's most effective offensive piece, as Brianna Ede (9), Daci Stover (9), Hannah Weber (8), KaSandra Lyons (7) and Jayda Brittenum (5) were the other five SC attackers with five or more finishes.

Maela Stevens had her first match of the year in which she was the top setter for the Moundbuilders, as she handed out 25 assists to Builder hitters. Sierra Norlin was able to contribute 18 assists to the effort, as she was followed by five dimes from Sophia Wicker.

Wicker reeled in a match-high 26 digs in the tilt, and continues to show how valuable an asset she is as the squad's Libero. Weber was second on the team with 14 pickups, while the other Builder to dig 10 or more attacks from Bethel was Norlin with 10. The team also had a much stronger day on the block, totaling eight blocks overall, as Weber led the team in that department with five block assists and one solo denial.

It was a tough result for the Moundbuilders (9-13, 4-6 KCAC), but they must stay focused with two matches left to play, as the squad will host Avila University on Wednesday, November 2 at 7 p.m. inside Stewart Field House for their final home regular-season KCAC match in 2022. Following that, the University of Saint Mary will host the Builders on Saturday, November 5 at 2 p.m. in Leavenworth, Kan. to close out the slate.

--buildersports.com--