Bethany falls in five to Chatham, 3-2

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

BETHANY, W.Va. (Oct. 10) – The Bethany College volleyball team was dealt a 3-2 loss by Chatham (20-25, 25-17, 20-25, 25-20, 15-13) in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) match Tuesday night inside the Hummel Field House.

THE MATCHUP

• Final: Chatham 3, Bethany 2 (20-25, 25-17, 20-25, 25-20, 15-13 | Box Score)
• Records: Bethany 16-8, 9-3 PAC | Chatham 11-8, 3-8 PAC
• Location: Hummel Field House | Bethany, West Virginia

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Bethany raced out to a 16-8 lead in the opening set, before a Chatham rally closed the gap to two points at 19-17. The Cougars did not get any closer, as a pair of service aces by sophomore Maggie Merren (Oregon, Ohio/Clay) and an attack error helped the Bison close the set a 25-18.
• The two teams were tied 11-11 in the second set, but Chatham took control of play and lead by as many as eight, 22-14, in the second set. The Cougars eventually evened the match at 1-1 with a 25-17 win.
• The score of the third set was tied at 8-8, when the Bison asserted command and notched 11 of the next 14 points to establish a 19-11 lead.
• Chatham rallied to pull within four at 21-17, but the deficit was too much to overcome and a kill by senior Sumayyah Muhammad (Warren, Ohio/Warren G. Harding) gave Bethany a 25-20 win and a two games to one lead in the match.
• Chatham responded with a very well played fourth set. The Cougars led 10-3 early and never let Bethany within four points until a the end of the set.
• Chatham led 23-17 when the Bison notched a trio of points to pull within four, but a pair of kills closed out the set at 25-21 and sent the match into the fifth set.
• Bethany held momentum in the early parts of the fifth set, taking an 8-5 lead before the teams switched sides.
• Chatham rallied to tie the score at 10-10, but Bethany answered with three of the next four points to take a 13-10 lead.
• The Cougars closed out the match with five-straight points, including service ace to clinch a 15-13 third set and a 3-2 win in the match.

MATCH NOTES

• Sophomore Katie Sparks (Macedonia, Ohio/Trinity) led the Bison with 16 kills and 11 digs for her 10th kill-dig double-double of the season.
• Muhammad, the reigning PAC Player of the Week, added 12 kills and four service aces in the loss 
• Five Bison reached double-figures in digs, with junior Reilly Parker (North Huntington, Pa./Norwin) recording a team-high 20 for Bethany.
• Freshman Jenna Scott (New Castle, Pa./Liberty Christian) tossed around 42 assists to go with 10 digs for a double-double of her own. The Indiana native also added a team-best and season-high five service aces.

UP NEXT

• The Bison are on the road this Saturday, October 14 for a non-conference tri-match at SUNY-Fredonia.
• Bethany will face host SUNY-Fredonia at 10 a.m. (Live Video Link) and close the day with a match against St. John Fisher (New York) at 12 p.m. (Live Video Link)