Mishawaka, Ind. --- The Bethel University Men's Volleyball (1-2,1-2 team fell 3-1 against the Mount Vernon Nazarene Cougars (2-1,2-1) with an electric crowd for the first-ever Men's Volleyball match in Bethel University's history.
The first set was a neck-and-neck grudge match where neither side could pull away until three straight Cougar errors put the Pilots up by three points, the highest of the set. When The set seemed won by Mount Vernon Nazarene, freshman
Marcos Henrike came up with a big kill to tie the game at 24 all and forced extra points, which the Pilots won 26-24.
The second set started with a 3-0 Bethel run off three straight Cougar mistakes, but Mount Vernon Nazarene quickly made up for it with a 4-0 run to make the score 4-3. The Cougars gained momentum with a 9-0 run to put the Pilots in a 15-7 deficit and would not recover, losing the set 25-17.
The Pilots climbed to a 16-12 lead in the third set as
Mustafa Yildiz and
Arthur Barreto sparked the push, but a timeout called by the Cougars led to a tough 9-0 run to overtake Bethel and ride to a set three win 25-18.
The fourth set was a slow burn after a kill by
Tuna Konukcu, and a Cougar service error tied the game 6-6, but Mount Vernon found a rhythm and slid to match victory.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Bethel let up 11 aces to Mount Vernon Nazarene, and Bethel accrued one.
- The Pilots outperformed the Cougars at the net, blocking 16 attacks versus the Cougars' 14.
NEXT TIME OUT
Bethel gets a rematch with Mount Vernon Nazarene Saturday, Feb. 4, at 6 p.m. at home in the Goodman Gymnasium. You can watch the match at bupilots.com/watch.
For the latest information on each of Bethel University's 31 intercollegiate athletic teams, visit BUPilots.com or follow the Pilots on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @BUPilots or YouTube at /BethelSportsNetwork.
