INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian volleyball team dominated in two of four sets Wednesday night in their return home to the PE Center, as the Knights carved the Bethel Pilots in a 3-1 Crossroads League victory. Marian improved to 14-7 overall on the season with the win, while leaping to 6-6 in league play.

The Knights played confidently in set one on Wednesday, hammering Bethel early with kills from Chloe Cook and Sarah Bennett. Nicole Wilkinson made her return to the lineup after a two-week absence and made an early impact on both the offensive and defensive sides of the net, getting a block to spark a 6-0 run. Marian led 8-6 at the time of the senior's block, pushing their lead to a commanding 14-6 edge. Another 5-0 swing, this time fueled by four Khori Dryden kills, put the Knights on top for good in set one, as they roared to a 25-14 victory.

Bethel responded in set two as they built a quick 6-3 lead, scoring five unanswered points to put Marian on its toes. The Knights got back in the game with a pair of Pilot errors, and later saw a 5-0 run led by two Sami Luttel service aces give them a 13-10 advantage. The two sides would trade runs, but Marian remained in the lead throughout, pulling front 17-13. Marian continued to push toward set point, getting there on a kill from Bennett to lead 24-18. Similar to last week's matchup at Spring Arbor, the Knights slipped as Bethel inched back into the game with a 5-0 run; however, Marian was able to prevail, closing out the game on a Dryden kill to get the 25-23 win.

Marian looked to put the match away in three sets as their approach in the third was strong, growing a 9-6 lead early in the set. Bethel would slowly take over, powering into the lead behind a 6-0 run as they carried a 16-11 lead. The Knights managed to stop the run with an Avery Toole block, and crept within a point of the Pilot lead twice, but failed to bring the game back to even, as they would fall 25-20.

Marian led 2-1 after dropping the third set, using the loss to motivate a fiery set four. Dryden led a commanding 5-0 run behind the service line that was part of a 7-2 start, while an 8-0 run led by Bennett, Cook, and Wilkinson kills gave the team a one-sided 15-3 lead. Bethel would out-score Marian 11-10 over the final 24 rallies, but the Knights held firm control of their early lead, closing out the night with a 25-14 set four victory. Nicole Wilkinson had the match-ending spike for the home Knights.

Dryden had a strong offensive night, hitting .232 while recording 19 kills and 14 digs for a double-double. Cook finished with 14 kills, and Wilkinson had 10 kills and five total blocks in the win. Mya Cunningham had 22 assists and three blocks in the win, and Emma Lyons had a team-high 20 digs. Chloe Cook would go on to match Sami Luttel with two service aces, and Callaway Marsh had one ace and four digs in the win. 

The Knights will go on the road this Friday before opening its three-game home stand next week, traveling to Mount Vernon Nazarene on Friday night. 

MUKnights.com: Your online source for Marian Athletics, tickets, multimedia, Knight merchandise, photos and more.