Pilots Lose Trio of Matches in Non-Conference Weekend Tourney
Dubuque, Iowa – The Bethel women’s volleyball team took a break from Crossroads League play to take part in the Clarke University Tournament over the weekend and could not find the win column in three matches. The Pilots fall to 10-16 on the season with three losses in the two-day competition.
The Pilots took on Central Methodist on Friday night and fell 23-25, 20-25, 17-25 in straight sets. The Pilots struggled to a .091 hitting percentage as a team as Kassandra Williams and Haley Brown led the Pilots with 6 kills each while Payton added 11 assists and Bridget Downs tallied 10 digs. Abby Armold led the defense with 5 blocks.
On Saturday, the Pilots faced a tough-test with No. 22 Missouri Valley (23-4) and battled for four sets but could not overcome an 11-25, 30-32, 25-20, 21-25 defeat. In the second set, the Pilots held advantages of 25-24, 27-26, before finally falling 30-32.
In the 25-20 third set victory, the Pilots tallied 14 kills at a .379 hitting percentage clip. Kassandra Williams led the Pilots with 14 kills and 6 blocks in the match while Haley Brown added 11 of her own. Payton Anderson paced the Pilots with 36 assists, while adding 13 digs, and Erin Carlos dug 22 balls in the match.
In the final match of the day for the Pilots, host Clarke (23-5) swept the Pilots with a 19-25, 21-25, 19-25 three set victory. Kristen Mitchell was one of four Pilots with at least five kills in the match with a team-high 7, while Payton Anderson added 21 more assists for a total of 68 on the weekend. Three Pilots notched double-digit digs with Erin Carlos, Anderson, and Mitchell going for 17, 12, and 10, respectively.
The Pilots return to Crossroads League action for their final eight matches of the regular season before postseason play begins November 4. Mt. Vernon Nazarene comes to the Wiekamp Athletic Center for a clash on Tuesday, slated for a 6:00 pm start.
