Volleyball wins three at Bellevue tournament

Story by Sara Bell, Editor

After another weekend on the road, the Baker University volleyball team rides into Friday’s home opener on a three-game win streak.

Baker opened the Bellevue University tournament with a 3-1 loss to the University of Jamestown on Friday but bounced back, sweeping its next three opponents.

During its second game on Friday, William Woods University took the Wildcats to extra points in the first set, but Baker put the Owls at bay for the remainder of the match. Sophomore Danielle French led the Wildcats in the campaign with nine kills, six assisted blocks and two solo blocks.

BU carried its momentum into day two of the tournament, grabbing 3-0 wins from Maryville State University and Briar Cliff University.

The Comets of Maryville State were no match for the combination of French and freshman setter Hannah Bettge. French came through for a game-high 17 kills, while Bettge connected for 32 assists. Baker also took advantage of Maryville’s defense, dishing eight aces during the contest.

In the final match of the tournament, the Wildcats held Briar Cliff to a .021 hitting percentage, while swinging .209 themselves. Senior libero Renata Dill led BU’s defense with 14 digs. Bettge followed closely behind Dill with double-digit digs, but she also recorded 24 assists and seven kills.

The Wildcats come home with a 5-3 record and will look to build on that Friday and Saturday during the Baker Invitational at Collins Center.

BU is scheduled to host John Brown University at 11 a.m. on Friday and then will turn around to play Friends University at 7 p.m. On Saturday, the Wildcats will take on Benedictine College and Sterling College at 1 and 7 p.m., respectively.