Bison Volleyball Falls to Top-Seeded Thomas More in PAC Championship Final
Nov. 7 – CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. – The Bethany College women's volleyball team's quest for a Presidents' Athletic Conference championship came up just short as the Bison dropped a 3-0 decision to Thomas More College on Saturday afternoon. The host Saints took the match by scores of 25-14, 25-16 and 25-15.
The top-seeded Saints, who went through the entirety of the regular season without suffering a conference defeat, jumped out to a 1-0 match lead by taking the first set by a 25-14 score. The game was played tight early, with the two teams knotting the score six times over the first six points.
Thomas More made the first move with a 3-0 run to take a 9-6 lead. The Green & White would battle back, however, utilizing a pair of kills from Arielle Sanders (Maple Heights, Ohio/Maple Heights) to pull within one (11-10). From there, however, the hosts would go on a 14-4 run, taking the opening set 25-14.
The second set was again close through the first seven points as the teams were knotted at 7-7 early. From there, the hosts used a 7-1 run to put some distance between them and the Bison. Bethany would close the gap to as small as three points (16-13) on a kill by Dylana McKenzie (Hopewell, Ohio/West Muskingum). However, the Saints would counter with a 9-3 run to finish off the set 25-16 and take a 2-0 lead.
The Bison took the advantage to open the third set, jumping out to a 5-0 lead on kills by Alexis Castro (Lorain, Ohio/Lorain) and Dakota McKenzie (Hopewell, Ohio/West Muskingum). McKenzie would then go on a mini-run of her own, tallying the Bison's next three kills en route to giving Bethany a 10-6 lead.
From there, however, the host Saints would respond, taking 19 of the sets' next 24 points. Thomas More would close the match, using a 19-5 run to take the game 25-15, and the match, 3-0.
ODakota McKenziehe match, the Bison were led by nine kills from Dakota McKenzie while senior Julia Mouch (Toledo, Ohio/Sylvania Southview) added eight of her own. Mouch also led the defensive effort, posting 13 of the team's 40 digs.
The Saints, who hit .363 in the match, were led by 10 kills each from Stacy Howell and Marisa Meyer. Howell also posted a double-double, leading the Saints' effort with 15 digs.
Bethany, who finished the year with a 29-9 record, posted their fifth-straight season with at least 25 wins. The Green & White will now wait to hear from the Eastern College Athletic Conference as they look for an invite to the ECAC Regional Championship Tournament. The ECAC will extend their invitations following the announcement of the NCAA National Tournament field on Monday.
