Coyotes sweep Swedes in three games
By: David Toelle, KWU Sports Information

Kansas Wesleyan and Bethany met for the first time this year on the athletic field on Wednesday night in Muir Gym, and it was a sweep…for the good guys of course. The Coyotes swept the Swedes 30-23, 30-18, 30-23 in volleyball action at Muir Gymnasium.

“We continued to perform well on the court,” KWU coach Gordon Reimer said. “We are continuing to build on the progress we made this weekend (at the Mid-America Nazarene Tournament).”

Wesleyan (8-7, 3-1) started out game one with a 3-0 lead, then allowed Bethany to score a single point, before Kolby Rhoades delivered a massive kill to put the Coyotes ahead 4-1. After Wesleyan took a 5-1 lead, the Lady Swedes responded, tying the game at 5-apiece. Both teams battled back and forth until the Coyotes took the lead for good on the heels of a 3-0 run to take a 10-8 lead. Bethany would rally and get back within one at 15-14 before the Coyotes used a 5-2 run to take control. A tip kill by Sarah Carlson would put Wesleyan ahead 27-21, forcing a second Bethany timeout. Wesleyan finished on hire in the game, coming away with 30-23.

Bethany (3-6, 0-3) scored the first point of game two, but after that it was all Coyotes, as they jumped out to a 12-5 lead forcing another Bethany timeout. Bethany scored the first point following the break, but Whitney DuBois got the Coyotes back on track with a big kill. The Lady Swedes got back within five at 17-12, thanks to a short 3-0 run, but a convincing 6-0 Coyote run ended any chance of game two becoming a contest. Wesleyan held a 25-17 lead, before rattling off five of the last six points, including the final two on thunderous kills by Rhoades to grab game two 30-18.

The aces were out for Wesleyan in the third frame as Wesleyan jumped out to an 8-4 lead with three of the points coming via aces, two by Rhoades and one by Kelli Berg. Bethany was able to hang around getting within three at 16-13, but the Coyotes regrouped and came out firing, using another ace by freshman Landree MacLennan to cap a 4-1 run to give the Coyotes a 20-14 lead. The Coyotes led 26-22 when Ashley Winters put a shot in the back corner sparking a 4-1 run to end the match. Carlson delivered a big kill to set up match point, and a bad set by Bethany wrapped things up.

“We served well tonight,” Reimer said. “We also limited our mistakes which gave us a chance to mix things up a little tonight. We didn’t come out trying to slam the ball down on the floor, we used some different hitters, some different sets and combinations, and we used the tip ball a little tonight too.”

Reimer points to a change in their offensive scheme which has turned things around. The Coyotes switched last week to a 6-2 offense, and it seems to be working.

“We went to the 6-2 a week ago, and we are just now getting adjusted to it,” he said. “It definitely is benefiting our offense, giving us a lot more options.”
Rhoades led a balanced Wesleyan attack with 13 kills, while Winters and Kristal Griffeth each had eight, and Carlson and Berg had seven. Jenny Baney had 22 assists while MacLennan had 16 for the Coyote setters. Rhoades and Berg each had four aces to lead, as the Coyotes racked up 12 aces on the night. Naomi Hobayan had 20 digs, while Rhoades added 12.

“We are starting to figure out the strengths of our team,” Reimer said. “We have a lot of players playing very well right now. We can go to anyone up and down the lineup and not lose our edge. That makes it tough for other teams to defend us.”

Next up for the Coyotes in the final match of the three-match homestand against Friends University on Tuesday. The JV starts at 6:00, followed by the Varsity at about 7:00 PM.

-- KWU SI --