Bethel’s Downs Records 1,000th Career Dig at Big Sky Challenge
BUTTE, Mont. – The Bethel University women’s volleyball team dropped their first two matches of the Big Sky Volleyball Challenge on Friday, losing to Montana Tech in four sets in the afternoon before losing a five-set nailbiter to Montana Western in the nightcap. Payton Hart connected on attacks at the net all day, tallying 40 kills across the nine sets played, while Bridget Downs recorded the 1,000th dig of her career.
MATCH VITALS
- Match 1 Score: Montana Tech def. Bethel 16-25, 25-17, 16-25, 25-27
- Match 2 Score: Montana Western def. Bethel 20-25, 25-15, 25-22, 23-25, 14-16
- Records: Bethel (1-2) | Montana Tech (5-1) | Montana Western (2-2)
- NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll: Bethel – not rated | Montana Tech – not rated | Montana Western – not rated
- Location:Butte Civic Center | Butte, Mont.
MATCH 1 vs. MONTANA TECH STAT TRACKER
- Payton Hart: 22 kills, .311 hit percentage
- Madyson Beaver: 29 assists, 5 kills
- Bridget Downs: 16 digs
- Abby Armold: 6 block assists
MATCH 2 vs. MONTANA WESTERN STAT TRACKER
- Payton Hart: 18 kills, 11 digs
- Bridget Downs: 22 digs
- Abby Armold: 6 solo blocks, 10 kills
- AJ McDonald: 10 kills
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Bridget Downs tallied her 1,000th career dig in the match against Montana Western. The senior defensive specialist and libero now stands at 1,016 for her career.
- Payton Hart’s 22 kills in the first match is a career high and the most by a Pilot in a single match since Aubrey Husak recorded 24 on September 12, 2014.
- Abby Armold totaled 12 blocks on the day to bring her season total up to 15.0. She entered the day ranked No. 49 in NAIA in blocks per game (1.000).
- After recording 16 service aces in their season opener, the Pilots totaled 11 in the two matches on the day. They entered the day the top-ranked team in the nation in service aces per game (5.330).
NEXT TIME OUT
- The Pilots continue in Big Sky Volleyball Challenge hosted by Montana Tech on Saturday.
THOUGHTS FROM COACH WEISS
- “Our serve, receive, and defense are better than ever. We are developing our offense and are excited for what this year may bring. We have faced some great teams here and battled well. I’m proud of this young team and the grit and determination they have.”
