NORTH NEWTON – Kansas Wesleyan Women's Volleyball bounced back in a big way on Wednesday night at Thresher Gym, rallying several times to come away with a 25-21, 23-25, 25-23, 29-27 win over the Bethel Threshers.
The win got the Coyotes back on the winning track, while also snapping Bethel's 14-match winning streak in the process, and handed the Threshers their first KCAC loss of the season, and creates a 3-way tie at the top of the conference standings with Oklahoma Wesleyan, KWU and Bethel all at 7-1. Ottawa is a half-game back at 6-1.
Bethel came out and took a 4-0 lead to open the first set, but the Coyotes came back and took a 7-5 lead thanks to a 7-1 run. Back came Bethel taking a 10-7 lead and extending it to 12-8 on a 7-1 run. The Coyotes trailed 20-15 in the set when the comeback started. Wesleyan scored the next seven points, capped by a kill by
Gianna Adriaanse to make it 22-20 in favor of the Coyotes. After a Bethel point, the Coyotes closed the set with three straight, making it a 10-1 run to end the set.
Despite trying several times, the Coyotes could not overcome an early deficit in the second set. It was 22-20 in favor of Bethel when the Threshers scored twice to have set point, but the Coyotes didn't go quietly, scoring the next three on two kills by
Rylee Serpan around a Serpan and
Kyla Moore block before Bethel got the set point to win.
Back-to-back kills by
Kylee Harris gave KWU an 8-5 lead in the third set, but Bethel came back and tied it at 8-all. Wesleyan would take a lead, then Bethel tied it, several times before the Threshers took a 16-15 lead. Kills by Harris tied it twice for the Coyotes before Bethel took a 19-17 lead. The Coyotes tied it at 19, then pushed out to a 22-20 lead. The Coyotes led 23-21 before back-to-back points by Bethel tied it at 23. The Coyotes would get the final two points of the set to take a 25-23 win.
Wesleyan powered out to a 7-3 lead to open the fourth set, and extended the lead to 13-5 when Bethel made a run. It was eight straight for the Threshers to tie it at 13-all. The Coyotes answered with four straight to take a 17-13 lead, and pushed out to a 19-14 lead. Another Bethel run gave the Threshers a 21-19 lead before the Coyotes got going again. A kill by Adriaanse made it 22-21 Coyotes before Bethel scored the next three to take a 24-22 lead and have a chance to force a fifth set.
The Coyotes would have none of that, and scored the next three capped by Serpan's ace to make it 25-24 Coyotes and a first match point. The Threshers tied it, but a kill by Adriaanse gave the Coyotes match point again.
Bethel answered back, with two in a row to give them set point at 27-26. Finally the Coyotes ended it, on back-to-back Harris kills and an error by Bethel ended it as the Coyotes got the 29-27 win.
Serpan was huge for the Coyotes again with 25 kills in the match, while Harris had 16 and Adriaanse had 13.
Josie Deckinger handed out 49 assists and had 17 digs. Serpan had 10 digs, and
Kelcey Hund had 22. Kyle Moore led the blockers with four, while
Katie Crain and Adriaanse had three each.
The Coyotes are back in action on Saturday morning, hosting Friends University at 11 a.m. in Mabee Arena as part of a jam-packed Homecoming weekend for the Coyotes.
