MOUNT VERNON, Ohio–The Bethel Pilots (9-5, 1-0) opened up conference play on Wednesday evening with a 3-1 win over the No. 15 Mount Vernon Nazarene University Cougars (6-4, 0-1).
The match in Ariel Arena marks the Pilots’ third upset win over an NAIA ranked opponent. In this first stretch of the 2025 season, the Pilots have defeated No. 8 IU Kokomo, No. 15 Aquinas College, and the newly named No.15 team, Mount Vernon.
In the 2024 season, the Pilots dropped both games to the Cougars on September 4th (home 3-2 loss) and October 9th (away 3-0 loss).
Head Coach Erica Dregits shared, “Tonight’s win showcased all of our offensive weapons. You can’t just stop one person, because we have multiple ways to score.”
Taylor Delp led the team in both blocks (four) and service aces (two), breaking her season record for number of aces in a single game.
Liberty Pierson totaled ten kills and two blocks for the Pilots.
Ainsley Tacke also posted another pair of Bethel blocks, and led the team in kills (11).
In the final set of the match, the Pilots went on an early four point run following three Cougar errors, and a kill by Ainsley Tacke (4-2).
The Cougars proved to be a formidable opponent, battling back with a five-point run comprised of all earned points (four kills and a service ace),taking an 8-5 lead over Bethel.
Dregits’ reflection of a balanced offense came through mid-set, after Bethel’s first timeout. Ainsley Tacke and Breyana Bosket racked up five sequential kills (three and two respectively), all assisted by Haley Biedenbach for a 10-8 lead.
Bethel held its lead, and its breath, as the set neared its close. While the Cougars came back with a pair of service aces to narrow the point deficit (24-23), Ainsley Tacke put the first conference matchup in the books with a 25-23 kill.
Captain and Starting Setter Haley Biedenbach wrote, “I’m super proud of how our team showed up unified and ready to fight. Beating Mount Vernon was the best way to start off conference!”
The Bethel Pilots will next face the Huntington University Foresters (10-1, 1-0) this Saturday, Sept. 6th at 1:00 PM on the road. The Foresters also won their first Crossroads League matchup on Wednesday evening with a 3-1 victory over St. Francis.