Bethany rallies past Chatham in PAC Quarterfinals, 3-2

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

BETHANY, W.Va. (Oct. 31) – The No. 3 seed Bethany College volleyball team rallied from behind to earn a 3-2 win (25-16, 19-25, 22-25, 25-20, 15-13) over No. 6 seed Chatham in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Tournament Quarterfinal match Tuesday night inside the Hummel Field House.

THE MATCHUP

• Final: Bethany 3, Chatham 2 (18-25, 16-25, 25-21, 25-22, 15-12 | Box Score)
  • Bethany advances to PAC Semifinals to face No. 2 seed Westminster on Friday, November 3 at 8 p.m.
  • Match will be played at No. 1 seed Thomas More in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.
• Records: Bethany 22-11 | Chatham 17-11
• Location: Hummel Field House | Bethany, West Virginia

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Bison came out strong with the support of a boisterous crowd and handled Chatham 25-16 in the first set. Bethany finished with 15 kills on 39 attacks (.256 hitting percentage) and limited the Cougars to a match-low eight kills.
• With the second set tied a 9-9, Chatham seized momentum from the Bison with a 6-2 spurt to take a 15-11 lead. Bethany was able to pull within two points at 15-13 and 18-16, but never got any closer. Chatham went on to close the set with six of the final eight points to claim a 25-19 win and tie the match at one-all.
• The Cougars picked up where they left off and raced out to a 6-2 lead to begin the third set. Bethany clawed back to take a 9-8 lead, before nine of the next 13 points went in favor of Chatham to give the visitors a 17-13 advantage.
• The Cougars kept Bethany on its heels and looked to close the set when they took a 24-19 lead. The Bison responded with consecutive kills from sophomore Katie Sparks (Macedonia, Ohio/Trinity) and a service ace from senior Sumayyah Muhammad (Warren, Ohio/Warren G. Harding) to pull within two points at 24-22, but a kill from Chatham's Justyne Lasher clinched a 2-1 match lead for the Cougars.
• Chatham claimed leads of 8-2 and 10-5 to set the tone early in the fourth set. Bethany answered back with eight of the next 10 points to take a 13-12 lead, one which they did not relinquish. The Cougars tied the set at 15-15 and 16-16, but the Bison reclaimed momentum and ran away with the set at 25-20 to send the match to a decisive fifth set.
• The fifth set followed a similar script to the previous three sets, as Chatham scooted out to a 7-3 lead and forced Bethany Head Coach Courtney Kline to use a timeout.
• The Cougars moved within five points of victory with a 10-6 advantage, but five-consecutive points, including a trio of kills by freshman Natalie Spitale (East Canton, Ohio/East Canton) helped the Bison seize control and take an 11-10 lead.
• Despite Chatham stopping the rally and tying the set at 11-11, Bethany moved within one point of the win on the strength of a pair of service aces by sophomore Maggie Merren (Oregon, Ohio/Clay) to take a 14-11 lead.
• Chatham pulled within one at 14-13 with the help of two attack errors by Bethany, but an errant Cougar serve clinched the Bison come-from-behind win and a spot in the PAC Semifinals.

MATCH NOTES

• Four Bison tallied double-digit kills, including Sparks, who led the team with a kill-dig double-double of 18 kills and 12 digs.
• Muhammad and sophomore Lindsey Llewellyn (Vermilion, Ohio/Norwalk St. Paul) each finished with 15 kills. Muhammad added four blocks to her final line, while Llewellyn was the most efficient hitter for the Bison with a kill percentage of .483 (15-for-29 with one error).
• Spitale had a season-high 11 kills with a season-high .250 kill percentage for the Bison.
• Freshman Jenna Scott (New Castle, Ind./Liberty Christian) recorded a double-double after tossing around a season-high 56 assists to go with 10 digs in the win. She also tacked on a team-best five service aces, tying a season-high.
• Junior Reilly Parker (North Huntington, Pa./Norwin) led five Bison in double-figures on defense with 26 digs.
• Chatham was led by Lasher, who finished with 17 kills and a team-best 21 digs in defeat. 

UP NEXT

• The Bison will continue their defense of the PAC crown on Friday, November 3 when they travel to Crestview Hills, Kentucky to take on Westminster at 8 p.m.
• Westminster scored a pair of 3-0 wins over Bethany this season, including a neutral-site win in Greenville, Pennsylvania.
• No. 5 seed Geneva will face top-seed Thomas More in the other semifinal matchup at 6 p.m.
• Fans are able to watch both matches here on PPV ($6.95).