Mishawaka, Ind. - The Marian volleyball team completed a season sweep against Bethel University on Wednesday night, sweeping the Pilots 3-0 on their home floor. The victory for Marian gives them an overall record of 17-5 on the season, while moving to 8-4 in the Crossroads League.

Marian started the night off strong, taking advantage of Bethel attack errors as they built a quick 8-3 lead in the first set. Marian continued to play effectively as increased their edge to seven points, getting kills from Gabby Fish and Avery Toole to build the margin to 15-8. The Pilots would rally back and tie the set at 17-17 after using a 4-0 and 3-0 run, but a Khori Dryden spike halted their momentum, putting Marian back on the right side. Trailing 21-20 after allowing a pair of Bethel points, Fish ignited the winning run, killing an Emerson Evans pass to start a 5-0 run. Nicole Wilkinson ended the set with a kill, giving Marian a 25-21 win.

Unlike the first set, Marian was unable to grab early control in the second set as the Pilots traded blows with their opposition. Wilkinson landed a kill to help Marian win the race to 10 points, igniting a 3-0 run to push Marian on top 12-9. The Knights gradually pushed their lead to four, forcing a Bethel timeout after capturing a 20-16 lead. The Pilots would capture the next point out of the break, but were unable to keep up with Marian, as Wilkinson and Brooks teamed up for a block, sparking a 2-0 swing. Brooks added two more kills to reach set point, while teaming up with Sarah Bennett on the final rally of the set to land a block and deliver a 25-20 victory.

Leading 2-0, the Knights left no doubt in the third set, pushing in front 8-2 in the first 10 rallies. Pilot errors fueled the commanding run for Marian, which the Knights continued to take advantage of as their lead swelled to eight. A service ace from Emma Hirchak after Bethel's second timeout of the set helped extend the lead to 18-9, putting Marian within reach of the victory. Emerson Evans served in a 4-0 run that put Marian two points within match point, as the Knights eventually closed the night. A Bethel service error ended the match, closing the 25-18 third set win to claim the sweep for Marian.

 The Knights had a strong hitting night posting a .214 hitting percentage, recording 32 kills on 98 attacks. Gabby Fish hit a blistering .538 from the floor, recording seven kills, two digs and two block assists. Khori Dryden led the team in kills with eight, and Madison Brooks had five kills to go with five block assists. Nicole Wilkson also had five block assists, posting four kills. Emma Lyons had a team-high 18 digs in the win, and Emerson Evans led the Knights with 13 assists and three service aces. 

Marian will end their week on Friday night, hosting No. 15 Mount Vernon Nazarene to kick off homecoming weekend. First serve is slated for 7:00 p.m.

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