Bison split at W&J tri-match

Sept. 27 - WASHINGTON, Pa. - The Bison split a pair of matches at a tri-match hosted by Washington & Jefferson Tuesday evening. The Bethany College volleyball team defeated Muskingum 3-0 (26-24, 25-19, 25-18) after falling to the host W&J 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-22, 25-19).

BETHANY 3, MUSKINGUM 0 (26-24, 25-19, 25-18)

The Bison (9-10, 4-2 PAC) held off a late rally in the first set to propel them to a 3-0 win in the second game of the evening at the Henry Memorial Gym.

Senior Dylana McKenzie (Hopewell, Ohio/West Muskingum) finished with a match-best 13 kills to lead the Bison, while classmate Arielle Sanders (Maple Heights, Ohio/Maple Heights) added nine kills and three blocks in the win.

Senior Allie Powell (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central) tallied 29 assists and eight digs, while freshman Maggie Merren (Oregon, Ohio/Clay) led the defensive efforts with 12 digs.

Neither team created much separation in the first set through the first 19 points, with the Bison holding a 10-9 edge. Bethany opened up a 19-12 lead, before four-straight points by the Muskies trimmed the Bison lead to three and forced a timeout.

Bethany came out of the timeout and claimed three of the next four points to take a 22-17 lead, but Muskingum rallied once again. The Muskies won four of the next five rallies to pull within two, 23-21, and fought off set-point three consecutive times to tie the set at 24-24, forcing another Bethany timeout.

The Bison once again came out strong following the timeout and kills by McKenzie and senior Alexis Castro (Lorain, Ohio/Lorain) gave Bethany the 26-24 win in the first set.

The second set played similar to the first over the first 20 rallies, with the Green and White owning an 11-9 lead following a kill by freshman Katie Sparks (Macedonia, Ohio/Trinity).

Bethany claimed the momentum of the set, going on a 7-2 run to take an 18-11 lead to force a Muskingum timeout. The Muskies rallied back to pull within three, 21-18, but the Bison closed out the set with blocks in two of the final three rallies to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Bethany closed out the match with a come-from-behind 25-18 win in the third set to earn the 3-0 win. The Muskies led 15-12, before the Bison rolled off nine of the next 10 points to take a 21-16 lead. Muskingum claimed the next two rallies to make the score 21-18, but the Green and White closed the match out with four consecutive points, capped off by a McKenzie kill, to earn the straight-set win.

WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON 3, BETHANY 1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-22, 25-19)

Bethany opened the day with a 3-1 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) loss to Washington & Jefferson Tuesday evening.

Three Bison tallied double-digit kills led by Dylana McKenzie's match-high 16 kills. Castro tallied 12 kills, while senior Dakota McKenzie (Hopewell, Ohio/West Muskingum) added a kill-dig double-double with 11 kills and 15 digs in the loss.

The squad posted its second-highest dig total of the season with 85, led by sophomore Kelli Terry(Leesburg, Va./Saint John's) who tallied a team-high 27. Powell guided the offense with 24 assists, while sophomore Emily Duke (North Ridgeville, Ohio/North Ridgeville) registered a double-double with 20 assists and 18 digs.

After Bethany jumped out to a 7-4 lead to open the set, the Presidents responded with a 12-3 run to take a 16-10 advantage. The Green and White rallied back to within four, 21-17, after a kill by Dylana McKenzie, but W&J closed the set out to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Bison and Presidents played a tight second set, with neither team leading by more than three points early on. W&J opened up a 19-17 lead before Bethany closed out the set with an 8-1 run to even the match at one apiece. 

The Green & White battled, but could not overcome a 16-9 deficit in the third set. A kill by Castro pulled the Bison within three at 22-19 and a Dakota McKenzie kill helped the squad fight off set point at 24-22, but the Presidents closed out the set with a kill to take a 2-1 lead.

Washington & Jefferson held off another Bethany rally in the fourth set to claim the 3-1 win. The Presidents led 17-7 before the resilient Bison claimed the next seven points with Merren serving to cut the W&J lead to three, but Bethany did not get any closer.

The Bison are back in action this Thursday night when they head to Waynesburg for a PAC match at 7 p.m.