Volleyball team takes third at UMD tourney, Troyer named to all-tourney team

The Bethel College volleyball team competed in the University of Michigan-Dearborn tournament in Dearborn, Michigan last weekend. Although the team got off to a slow start, they were able to finish strong with three consecutive wins which secured a third place finish out of 19 teams. The Lady Pilots took the court Friday as they matched up against Indiana University East in the first round of the tournament. IU East, who is receiving votes in the top 25, proved to be a very tough team to knock off. In the end, Bethel was able to push the Red Wolves but fell by a straight set score of 15-25, 23-25, and 13-25. In the next round of the tournament, the Lady Pilots played Lawrence Tech later that Friday night. The team was able to bounce back after a disappointing loss as they decisively won 25-16, 25-14, 26-7. Veteran senior Emily Henry led the Pilots with 19 kills on the afternoon, while junior Lindsay Marks chipped in an impressive 51 assists, and sophomore Amanda Troyer contributed with 13 digs. The Lady Pilots then competed in the last two rounds on the final day of the tournament. Overall, Bethel came out very confident as they would not drop a single set all day. The Lady Pilots first turned away Lourdes College by a straight set score of 25-20, 25-11, 25-15. They then defeated Trinity International College by a score of 25-23, 25-11, 25-23. Henry again led the team with 18 kills in two matches while Troyer was named to the all-tournament team. Bethel is currently 5-3 and will now prepare for their long conference season. Their next game is scheduled to take place on September 7 at 7:00 p.m. as they host Mount Vernon Nazarene University. The Cougars were just recently added to the MCC.