LINDSBORG - Kansas Wesleyan Women's Volleyball picked up a straight set win over the Bethany College Swedes on Wednesday night 25-16, 25-20, 25-18 inslde Bethany's Hahn Gymnasium.
The victory is the sixth straight for the Coyotes over Bethany and improves KWU's record to 6-4 in the KCAC and 16-10 overall as KWU continues to jockey for a spot in the KCAC playoffs that begin November 12 with quarterfinal matches at high-seed home sites.
Wesleyan immediately put the hammer down against the Swedes as KWU took a 5-0 lead to open the match and extended the difference to 8-2 on a Bethany hitting error by Melia Coleman.
Rylee Serpan's kill made it 11-4 Coyotes before Bethany scored the next three points to make it 11-7. Back came Wesleyan with a charge. A kill by Gianna Adriaanse and a service ace by Sarah Girard got things rolling for the Coyotes as KWU capped a 6-1 run with a block by Kyla Moore and Josie Deckinger on an attack attempt by Cara Cox.
Another 4-1 run by the Coyotes made it 21-10 when Bethany made a run of its own, scoring six straight points to cut the difference to 21-16. Wesleyan would score the last four points of the set all coming on kills, two by Serpan, one by Adriaanse and one by Kate Bebout to close out the set.
The second set was back and forth as neither team could make any sort of an extended run. It was tied 4-4 when the Coyotes got three in a row, the last two on kills by Kylee Harris part of a 6-2 run that made it 10-6. The Coyotes led 13-9 after Autry Satica's hitting error, but the Swedes scored five of the next seven points to get within a point at 15-14.
The teams traded points back and forth until KWU led 18-16 on Adriaanse's kill, then Bethany scored the next three points to take a 19-18 lead. KWU came back out of a time out scoring the next three to take the lead back at 21-19.
Bethany got the next point after its own timeout to get within a point, but the Coyotes closed the door, ending the second set on back to back kills from Harris to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Wesleyan raced out to a 7-1 lead in the final set, and led the set 15-6 after a Harris kill when Bethany made another run. Seven straight Bethany points went on the board as the Swedes cut the lead to 15-13.
Leading 17-15, the Coyotes scored six of the next seven points to take a 23-16 lead. The teams traded points back and forth to close out the match as Kate Bebout ended it with a kill for the Coyote sweep.
Serpan led the Coyotes with 13 kills, while Adriaanse had 12 and Harris 10 as KWU hit .314 for the match overall. Deckinger had 37 assists in the match and added eight digs. Kori Arnold had 23 digs, and freshman Tristyn Hedman had 12.
Bethany hit .156 in the match and Satica had 11 kills and Cox had 10.
Wesleyan is back in action on Saturday as part of Nex-Tech Wireless Weekend on the KWU campus. The Coyotes start a wild day of athletic action with a match at 11 a.m. inside Mabee Arena. Prior to the match, KWU will honor its 2024 seniors.